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AAASM.ORG
IMPROVING THE LIVES OF BLACK PEOPLE THROUGH
AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION
IMPROVING THE LIVES OF BLACK PEOPLE THROUGH
AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION
| AAASM Black History Research Project |
| Stephen Bantu (Steve) Biko December 18,1946 - September 17,1977 |
An Early Life
From an early age Steve Biko showed an interest in anti-Apartheid politics. After being
expelled from his first school, Lovedale, in the Eastern Cape for 'anti-establishment'
behavior, he was transferred to a Roman Catholic boarding school in Natal. From there
he enrolled as a student at the University of Natal Medical School (in the university's
Black Section). Whilst at medical school Biko became involved with the National Union of
South African Students (NUSAS). But the union was dominated by white liberals and
failed to represent the needs of black students, so Biko resigned in 1969 and founded
the South African Students' Organisation (SASO). SASO was involved in providing legal
aid and medical clinics, as well as helping to develop cottage industries for
disadvantaged black communities.
Biko and Black Consciousness
In 1972 Biko was one of the founders of the Black Peoples Convention (BPC) working
on social upliftment projects around Durban. The BPC effectively brought together
roughly 70 different black consciousness groups and associations, such as the South
African Student's Movement (SASM), which played a significant role in the 1976
uprisings, the National Association of Youth Organisations, and the Black Workers
Project which supported black workers whose unions were not recognized under the
Apartheid regime. Biko was elected as the first president of the BPC and was promptly
expelled from medical school. He started working full time for the Black Community
Programme (BCP) in Durban which he also helped found.
From an early age Steve Biko showed an interest in anti-Apartheid politics. After being
expelled from his first school, Lovedale, in the Eastern Cape for 'anti-establishment'
behavior, he was transferred to a Roman Catholic boarding school in Natal. From there
he enrolled as a student at the University of Natal Medical School (in the university's
Black Section). Whilst at medical school Biko became involved with the National Union of
South African Students (NUSAS). But the union was dominated by white liberals and
failed to represent the needs of black students, so Biko resigned in 1969 and founded
the South African Students' Organisation (SASO). SASO was involved in providing legal
aid and medical clinics, as well as helping to develop cottage industries for
disadvantaged black communities.
Biko and Black Consciousness
In 1972 Biko was one of the founders of the Black Peoples Convention (BPC) working
on social upliftment projects around Durban. The BPC effectively brought together
roughly 70 different black consciousness groups and associations, such as the South
African Student's Movement (SASM), which played a significant role in the 1976
uprisings, the National Association of Youth Organisations, and the Black Workers
Project which supported black workers whose unions were not recognized under the
Apartheid regime. Biko was elected as the first president of the BPC and was promptly
expelled from medical school. He started working full time for the Black Community
Programme (BCP) in Durban which he also helped found.
Banned by the Apartheid Regime
In 1973 Steve Biko was 'banned' by the Apartheid government. Under the 'ban' Biko was restricted to his home town of
Kings William's Town in the Eastern Cape – he could no longer support the BCP in Durban, but was able to continue
working for the BPC – he helped set up the Zimele Trust Fund which assisted political prisoners and their families. (Biko
was elected Honorary President of the BPC in January 1977.)
Biko Dies in Detention
Biko was detained and interrogated four times between August 1975 and September 1977 under Apartheid era anti-
terrorism legislation. On 21 August 1977 Biko was detained by the Eastern Cape security police and held in Port
Elizabeth. From the Walmer police cells he was taken for interrogation at the security police headquarters. On 7
September "Biko sustained a head injury during interrogation, after which he acted strangely and was uncooperative. The
doctors who examined him (naked, lying on a mat and manacled to a metal grille) initially disregarded overt signs of
neurological injury.
By 11 September Biko had slipped into a continual, semi-conscious state and the police physician recommended a
transfer to hospital. Biko was, however, transported 1,200 km to Pretoria – a 12-hour journey which he made lying naked
in the back of a Land Rover. A few hours later, on 12 September, alone and still naked, lying on the floor of a cell in the
Pretoria Central Prison, Biko died from brain damage.
The Apartheid Government's Response
The South African Minister of Justice, James (Jimmy) Kruger initially suggested Biko had died of a hunger-strike and said
that his death "left him cold". The hunger strike story was dropped after local and international media pressure, especially
from Donald Woods, the editor of the East London Daily Dispatch. It was revealed in the inquest that Biko had died of
brain damage, but the magistrate failed to find anyone responsible, ruling that Biko had died as a result of injuries
sustained during a scuffle with security police whilst in detention.
An Anti-Apartheid Martyr
The brutal circumstances of Biko's death caused a worldwide outcry and he became a martyr and symbol of black
resistance to the oppressive Apartheid regime. As a result, the South African government banned a number of individuals
(including Donald Woods) and organizations, especially those Black Consciousness groups closely associated with Biko.
The United Nations Security Council responded by finally imposing an arms embargo against South Africa.
Biko's family sued the state for damages in 1979 and settled out of court for R65,000 (then equivalent to $25,000).
The three doctors connected with Biko's case were initially exonerated by the South African Medical Disciplinary
Committee. It was not until a second enquiry in 1985, eight years after Biko's death, that any action was taken against
them. The police officers responsible for Biko's death applied for amnesty during the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission hearings which sat in Port Elizabeth in 1997. The Biko family did not ask the Commission to make a finding on
his death.
"The Commission finds that the death in detention of Mr Stephen Bantu Biko on 12 September 1977 was a gross human
rights violation. Magistrate Marthinus Prins found that the members of the SAP were not implicated in his death. The
magistrate's finding contributed to the creation of a culture of impunity in the SAP. Despite the inquest finding no person
responsible for his death, the Commission finds that, in view of the fact that Biko died in the custody of law enforcement
officials, the probabilities are that he died as a result of injuries sustained during his detention."1
In 1973 Steve Biko was 'banned' by the Apartheid government. Under the 'ban' Biko was restricted to his home town of
Kings William's Town in the Eastern Cape – he could no longer support the BCP in Durban, but was able to continue
working for the BPC – he helped set up the Zimele Trust Fund which assisted political prisoners and their families. (Biko
was elected Honorary President of the BPC in January 1977.)
Biko Dies in Detention
Biko was detained and interrogated four times between August 1975 and September 1977 under Apartheid era anti-
terrorism legislation. On 21 August 1977 Biko was detained by the Eastern Cape security police and held in Port
Elizabeth. From the Walmer police cells he was taken for interrogation at the security police headquarters. On 7
September "Biko sustained a head injury during interrogation, after which he acted strangely and was uncooperative. The
doctors who examined him (naked, lying on a mat and manacled to a metal grille) initially disregarded overt signs of
neurological injury.
By 11 September Biko had slipped into a continual, semi-conscious state and the police physician recommended a
transfer to hospital. Biko was, however, transported 1,200 km to Pretoria – a 12-hour journey which he made lying naked
in the back of a Land Rover. A few hours later, on 12 September, alone and still naked, lying on the floor of a cell in the
Pretoria Central Prison, Biko died from brain damage.
The Apartheid Government's Response
The South African Minister of Justice, James (Jimmy) Kruger initially suggested Biko had died of a hunger-strike and said
that his death "left him cold". The hunger strike story was dropped after local and international media pressure, especially
from Donald Woods, the editor of the East London Daily Dispatch. It was revealed in the inquest that Biko had died of
brain damage, but the magistrate failed to find anyone responsible, ruling that Biko had died as a result of injuries
sustained during a scuffle with security police whilst in detention.
An Anti-Apartheid Martyr
The brutal circumstances of Biko's death caused a worldwide outcry and he became a martyr and symbol of black
resistance to the oppressive Apartheid regime. As a result, the South African government banned a number of individuals
(including Donald Woods) and organizations, especially those Black Consciousness groups closely associated with Biko.
The United Nations Security Council responded by finally imposing an arms embargo against South Africa.
Biko's family sued the state for damages in 1979 and settled out of court for R65,000 (then equivalent to $25,000).
The three doctors connected with Biko's case were initially exonerated by the South African Medical Disciplinary
Committee. It was not until a second enquiry in 1985, eight years after Biko's death, that any action was taken against
them. The police officers responsible for Biko's death applied for amnesty during the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission hearings which sat in Port Elizabeth in 1997. The Biko family did not ask the Commission to make a finding on
his death.
"The Commission finds that the death in detention of Mr Stephen Bantu Biko on 12 September 1977 was a gross human
rights violation. Magistrate Marthinus Prins found that the members of the SAP were not implicated in his death. The
magistrate's finding contributed to the creation of a culture of impunity in the SAP. Despite the inquest finding no person
responsible for his death, the Commission finds that, in view of the fact that Biko died in the custody of law enforcement
officials, the probabilities are that he died as a result of injuries sustained during his detention."1
