Durban riots

The Durban riots were an anti-Indian pogrom that took place between 13–15 January 1949, primarily by African people targeting Indians in Durban, South Africa. The two days of rioting were exceptionally violent resulting in rape and massacre of Indians, looting, burning of their properties, claiming 142 lives and creating 40,000 Indian refugees.However the Indians situated in Phoenix were determined to stand up to the riots and there were allegations that they did not stop there they also ended up injuring and murdering the Africans in the name of self defense.

Thursday riots

On the evening of Thursday, 13 January 1949 ethnic Indians in the center of the Indian business area of Durban were assaulted by black Africans. The riots began at Victoria street in the heartland of Indian commercial center. The assailants began to attack individual Indians, stoning vehicles driven by Indians and looting Indian stores while chanting "Usuthu!". The violence was initially limited to destruction of property and looting which subdued after a few hours of rioting. An account by a police detective present at the riots states that there was an organized element to the riots within the Zulu community and "The talk was that the time had come to rid the country of the whites."

Friday riots

On Friday, African leaders from Cato Manor organized rioters from workers' hostels and from social networks such as the ingoma dancing troupes and boxing clubs. Taking advantage of the slow police intervention, the assailants attacked the Indian business area with an assortment of improvised weapons, attacking both property and people. Numerous reports suggest that European whites cheered the African assailants and joined in looting Indian stores. Donald L. Horowitz notes in his book, The Deadly Ethnic Riot: "A number of European women urged the Natives [Africans] on to 'hit the coolies [Indians]'. Thereafter they went dancing up the street with the Natives. The pictorial record shows Europeans actively inciting the Natives, or evincing all the signs of enjoyment at their excesses."

By early evening the government troops blockaded the Indian district in central Durban after which the focus of assaults shifted to the suburban areas of Cato Manor, Clairwood and the Jacobs area, where numerous acts of murder, arson, rape, and brutal attacks and looting took place.

Rampaging African crowds burnt houses, stores, raped Indian women and girls and bludgeoned to death Indians of all ages and sexes. An article in the Indian Opinion recounted the devastation:

"Huddled under the flames of one of the burning shops were four Indian women and a dozen weeping children. The male owner was in a grotesque attitude on the front path, knifed in several places and dying. A younger son staggered in the road with his head split open. This was one of the hundreds of pathetic sites that were witnessed in Cato and other districts of Durban."

Friday night saw the peak of the violence when Africans hurled paraffin tins into Indian owned buildings and families were burned alive.

Saturday riots

By Saturday, the military and police were mostly able to establish order although limited violence occurred in Pietermaritzburg a few days later.

Aftermath

The consequent loss of life and property was officially given as follows: deaths; 142 (87 Africans, 50 Indians, 1 white and 4 others whose identity could not be determined); injured; 1 087 (541 Africans, 503 Indians, 11 Coloureds and 32 whites; of the injured 58 died); buildings destroyed: 1 factory, 58 stores and 247 dwellings; buildings damaged: 2 factories, 652 stores and 1 285 dwellings.

The riots created thousands of Indian refugees, followed by a wave of suicides among Indians, as a result of the disintegration of their families, economic failure, stress, humiliation and racist discrimination.

A report on the events by the Riots Inquiry Commission enjoyed some criticism for its limitations. The South African Government, sticking fast to its doctrine of racial segregation, rejected the suggestion that an Indian and an African should also be members of the commission. The commission also refused to grant the opportunity to certain recognised bodies to cross-examine witnesses in order to test allegations and accusations which would be made. This opened the way for propaganda. It is no secret that many witnesses made the wildest of statements, which crumbled immediately the members of the commission began to test them. Local Non-European organisations with a sound knowledge of local affairs would have been able to make very useful and valuable contributions in this respect had they been allowed to cross-examine witnesses.

See also

• List of massacres in South Africa