In 1952, the African National Congress (ANC) initiated its Defiance Campaign, opposing
apartheid laws through organized civil disobedience and African nationalism. On Sunday 9
November, the city of East London became a site of political mobilization when 1,500 Xhosa-
speaking ANC sympathizers peacefully protested in Bantu Square, the hub of a township
named Duncan Village. Police arrived and fired on the crowd, igniting 'spontaneous riots'.
An Afrikaner salesman and an Irish nun were killed in the ensuing unrest. Rumours …

The authors wish to correct and explain spelling differences of some names in the above
article. The East London Assistant Magistrate in November 1952 was Mr Snyman, not Mr
Synman (487). The name Rheinhallt is missing one 'l'(fn15, 476). Dr Sacks, the son of
Lithuanian immigrants and a District Surgeon, was incorrectly spelled Dr Sachs. The authors
mistakenly believed that Dr Sacks, the forensic pathologist, was related to another
Lithuanian family in South Africa known by the last name of Sachs. Albie Sachs, a young anti …