Boipatong Monument & Youth Centre

About Boipatong Monument & Youth Centre

The Boipatong massacre occurred on 17 June 1992 when a heavily armed group of roughly 200 to 300 residents from the nearby Kwa-Madala hostel, largely aligned with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), launched a night attack on the township of Boipatong and the neighboring Joe Slovo informal settlement in South Africa. The assault resulted in the deaths of 45 people and left dozens injured, with victims predominantly consisting of women, children, and the elderly.

This event had immediate political consequences, as the African National Congress (ANC) accused the ruling National Party government and the South African Police of state complicity or direct involvement in the attack. Consequently, the ANC suspended its participation in the ongoing Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) negotiations, creating a diplomatic gridlock that only resolved after international pressure and the signing of the Record of Understanding later that year, which ultimately accelerated the country's transition to its first democratic elections in 1994.