Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) founder Steve Bantu Biko
Today marks exactly 39 years since the death of former anti-apartheid struggle icon Steve Biko.
Biko died in police custody at the age of 31.
The Black Consciousness Movement founder was arrested at a roadblock under the Terrorism Act and interrogated and tortured for up to 22 hours.
He suffered a major head injury while in police custody at the Walmer Police Station.
In an interview, aired on German TV, Biko talked about the ideologies of the Black Consciousness Movement.
“We see a completely non-racial society, we don’t believe in the so called guarantees for minority rights because that implies we must portion parts of the community on a race basis and we believe in our country there shall be no minority, there shall be no majority, there will be just people.”
One of his old school mates, who went to the University of KwaZulu-Natal with him, Dr Oscar Shimange, says Biko gave him political education.
“Oh what a great man. A man who was looking into the future and had the interests of South Africans at heart. Politics was more of his interest. He went into medicine to keep everyone healthy, with the intention of helping all those who were poor in South Africa.”
Source- Eyewitness News
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