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Violence and repression
After that, Africans began participating in a series of protests and demonstrations during the 1950s right through to the 1970s protesting white supremacy. Many of these peaceful demonstrations and meetings ended in violence when police opened fire on unarmed protestors. Among these incidents was May Day 1950, where 19 Africans were killed and 30 wounded as well as the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre and the Soweto Uprising in 1976 which killed at 69 and injured many others. Thousands of Africans and protest leaders were routinely arrested and thrown into jail.
During this period, over 1,500 people were banned by the Nationalist government. A banned person was prohibited from attending any meeting, consisting of three or more people. Banned people could not talk to each other and all banned people were bared from entering certain buildings such as courts and educational institutions. Later it would also be illegal to quote or publish anything a banned person said. Nelson Mandela was banned for over 30 years of his life
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Was
the country still a colony?