Black Trainee Killed by Grenade Hurled at S. Africa Police
A black police officer trainee was killed and 64 were wounded today by a hand grenade hurled at drill squads on a parade ground in the Soweto black township, government officials said.
Unidentified attackers tossed a hand grenade over a security fence onto a parade ground where two rookie squads were drilling, the government’s Bureau for Information said. The attackers drove away in a light truck.
A trainee officer of Soweto’s council police force was killed, and 64 rookie officers were wounded in the blast at the Tledi training base.
Soweto, with a population of about 2 million, is a black satellite city 10 miles southwest of Johannesburg. Soweto municipal police, known as “blackjacks” to many inhabitants, are widely seen as an arm of the white-run central government.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.