They had gathered at Maduna Square and were heading towards the house where the funeral was held when the police blocked the road with two armoured vehicles and ordered the crowd to disperse.
[1] In March 1985, tensions between the African population in Uitenhage's townships and the apartheid government reached boiling point.
Minister of Law and Order Louis le Grange, had visited Uitenhage with the commissioner of police, General Johan Coetzee, on 19 February.
On 14 March, Uitenhage's most senior police officers, the Order Group, decided to take stronger action to regain control.
As from 15 March, police patrols were no longer issued with teargas, rubber bullets and birdshot; instead they were given heavy ammunition.
[1] Captain Goosen from the Uitenhage branch applied for a court order which banned all funerals on weekends, Mondays and public holidays from Chief Magistrate MH Steyn.
[1] Goosen realised that the 21 March marked the 25 anniversary of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, where the apartheid police killed 69 black Africans.
Warrant Officer F.W Pentz and his team patrolled KwaNobuhle township and did not find any signs of protest or marching.
Pentz sent a message to Lieutenant Fouche via radio that his patrol needed assistance before accelerating along Maduna Road to small hill between the crowd and the white residential area.
[1] In 1986, an inquest at the New Brighton courts in Port Elizabeth found that the deaths were not the result of any act or negligence constituting a crime on the part of anyone.
Their efforts underscore the need for continued attention to South Africa's history of violence and the ongoing process of reconciliation and healing.
Survivor stories highlight the ongoing impact of the massacre on the community and the importance of acknowledging and remembering this tragic event.