Riot Police and Youths Clash in Soweto

Riot policemen and stone-throwing youths clashed in Soweto today, and cars were set on fire as blacks commemorated the anniversary of the 1976 riots here.

The police said that 20 buses were damaged and that cars and trucks were set on fire as the mainly teen-age groups ran through much of Soweto, a black township outside Johannesburg.

The clashes came after an emotional service in Regina Mundi Church to remember the more than 500 people who died in the 1976 riots. The police said one police officer was hurt when his car's windshield was shattered by a rock. They said there had been some arrests.

Source: New York Times

Car bomb in South Africa kills 16

At least 16 people have been killed and more than 130 people injured in a car bomb explosion in South Africa's capital city, Pretoria.

The explosion happened outside the Nedbank Square building on Church Street at about 1630 hours - the height of the city's rush hour.

Oliver Tambo, who is the organisation's acting president while its senior figure, Nelson Mandela, is in prison, said the Nedbank Square building was a legitimate target, although he did not admit carrying out the attack.

PS: Four days later the South African Air Force bombed ANC bases in Maputo, Mozambique, in retaliation for the Pretoria car bomb. At least six people, including two children, were killed. Following the Maputo attack the ANC formally admitted carrying out the Pretoria bombing.

Source: BBC