Revisiting the Bhisho March and Massacre of September 1992: The “Leipzig Option” and the Meanings of Mass Action in the South African Transition (Part 2)

Amid repressive state violence and an escalating civil war in the Eastern Cape’s Border region, on 7th September 1992 more than 80,000 people marched to the Ciskei bantustan capital of Bhisho to bring an end to the rule of its military leader, Brigadier Gqozo. Widespread fears of a fatal showdown were realised when the Ciskei Defence Force opened fire, killing 29 and injuring more than 200. These critical events, understood as a most pivotal moment in South Africa’s transition to democracy, have rarely been subjected to historical scrutiny. This paper casts new light on the events and politics surrounding the march; the contested meanings of mass action; the consequences of the massacre and its subsequent narration by politicians in the wake of the tragedy. As the tragic culmination of the African National Congress’ mass action campaign, the Bhisho march became a theatre of the contested politics of mass action within the Tripartite Alliance. An initiative of local and regional Alliance structures in the Border region, the march was exploited by national politicians to serve strategic agendas in the national negotiations, while the ANC’s narrative was carefully curated to legitimate its leaders and their national project.