what was steve biko's life like under the aparthied system in South Africa?

Answer 1

I couldn't stop myself from laughing at Bull's answer. That's a trash that was fed to the world by that moron of a minister of police with a weird name - Jimmy something.

Steve Biko was harrassed and killed by apartheid government.

Answer 2

I remember the time well and the answer above almost says it all except to mention a young female doctor called Wendy Orr.
She visited Steve and found that he was beaten. She then not only reported it but went to court, to have them (the Police) stop beating prisoners. I seem to recall that she won the case but lost her job as it was then and she was not allowed to visit prisoners ever again.
She did not only risk her job but her life too,as this was about the same time that the police sent Biko's Friend's (Donald Woods) children, T shirts with some sort of poison on the inside. One forgets the hero's too quickly.

Answer 3

While the idea that Steve Biko died from a hunger strike is plausible it is not true.

The general rule of thumb for survival is the following: 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. Note that is a rule of thumb applied in outdoors survival situations. Jail hunger strikes have produced results of hunger strikers lasting as long as 123 days without food with one case in Turkey resulting in hunger strikers lasting 300 days. Mahatma Gandhi would often fast like a hunger striker for up to 21 days.

The above is quoted for a normal weight human being. According to sources Biko was actually over weight so should easily have been able to last more than the 6 days he was alive in prison.

It is interesting to note that all the state appointed surgeons who examined Biko over the course of those six days merely noted that he was unwell and that they could find nothing wrong with him. If Biko did die from a hunger strike the first thing to kill him would be the lack of water and the dehydration associated with it. Death by dehydration typically involves very noticeable incessant skin irritation, hallucinations, and the swelling or cracking of the tongue. The 4 doctors who examined him would surely have noted this to support their case of Biko dying as a result of the hunger strike.

Steve Biko was also found to have head injuries consistent with beatings. How does a hunger strike result in head injuries? In and around the same period another prisoner, Nichodimus Kgoathe was said to have died from broncho-pneumonia following head injuries allegedly sustained when he fell while taking a shower as did Solomon Modipane after slipping on a piece of soap. Many who knew Steve Biko also agree that going on a hunger strike was highly out of character for him in light of his known responses to persecution.

Answer 4

I can't give a potted history of Biko's life under apartheid or anyone's for that matter but there are loads of sites where you can get that information, if you google "Apartheid" you will find hundreds - I can tell you that Biko was a medical student who realised that black people and asians needed their own voice in S. Afrika. He became involved with the National Union of South African Students and later helped to found the South African Students org. of which he became the first president. This later evolved into the Black Conciousness movement (BCM)

In August 1977 he was arrested at a police roadblock under the terrorist law No. 87 ( some things never change) and was brutally beaten. He was chained to a radiator for a day and was thrown into the back of a car and driven 750 miles to Pretoria where he died shortly after getting there.

The police claimed that he died because of a hunger strike but the autopsy showed he had massive head injuries which some say proved that he had been beaten. The south African authorities refused to prosecute any of the officers involved in his death but his death ultimately led to the fall of apartheid - No one has been prosecuted for his death because of lack of evidence.

The Movie "Cry Freedom" starring Denzel Washington and directed by Richard Attenborough Tells his life story and Peter Gabriels' song "Biko" is a moving tribute to him.
Biko's life and death is a kick in the teeth to totalitarian and opppresive regimes which is ironic since he preached non- violent change though how much as a political tactic and how much as a personal belief is open to debate. It does prove the importance of history and remembering to profit from our mistakes, something our current crop of political leaders seem not to be able to do! -
I hope my meanderings have helped.

Answer 5

He was a man that South Africa could do with now, i remember only too well the day his death was announced, those of us that were not brain washed knew it was a cover up.

Moloi i think you are referring to Jimmy Kruger the then minister of police.

Watzzup you know what i actually like some of your outrageous comments you keep the bunch hopping mad some days.

Answer 6

When he started to publish and be even vaguely political he was hounded and tracked and made to live a very intimidated life.

Even the smallest glimmer of an uprising had to be annihilated very fast - bush fires gain minds of their own very quickly.

And he was well on the way to fanning a very large bush fire indeed.

Answer 7

It was just like millions of other Africans subjected to European occupation. Terrible and short. The current
residents of SA would do well to fully understand the recent history of the land and present reasons for confrontation.

Answer 8

Steve Biko died due to self starvation whilst on hunger strike, suicide is sheer stupidity.

Answer 9

It couldn't've been that good if the police were able to beat the life out of the poor bastard without any comebacks.

Answer 10

see the movie about it. i think it called "white nights"