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| Durban beach-front bombing | |
|---|---|
  Durban Durban (South Africa) | |
| Location | Durban beach-front,Natal Province, South Africa |
| Date | 14 June 1986 |
Attack type | Car bombing |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Injured | 69 |
| Perpetrators | Robert McBride of theAfrican National Congress |
On 14 June 1986, the Magoo's Bar at the Parade Hotel on the beach-front area ofDurban, Natal Province, South Africa, was attacked with a car bomb, killing three civilians and injuring 69 others.Robert McBride, a leader inUmkhonto we Sizwe (the paramilitary wing of theAfrican National Congress), was convicted of carrying out the attack and sentenced to death, but later reprieved and released.
The attack, also known as theMagoo's Bar bombing, was carried out by detonating a car bomb, killing three civilians and injuring 69 others. The bar was targeted as it was claimed to be "frequented by security branch police".[1] Reports sometimes give the name of the bar as theWhy Not Magoo's Bar, but in fact theWhy Not Bar andMagoo's Bar were two different bars attached to the same hotel.[2]
Robert McBride was convicted and sentenced to death, but was reprieved while on death row, and released in 1992 by presidentF. W. de Klerk during South Africa's political transition. He has subsequently held a number of prominent positions in the country.
After the end of apartheid following the 1994 elections, theTruth and Reconciliation Committee was established in 1996. McBride applied for and received amnesty for his role in the attack. The TRC found that the bombing was a "gross violation of human rights".[3]
At the side of the hotel was Garfunkel's Restaurant, while in front, on either side of its entrance, were two of Durban's most popular taverns: on the left the Why Not Bar, and on the right Magoo's Bar.
The consequence in these cases, such as the Magoo's Bar and the Durban Esplanade bombings, were gross violations of human rights in that they resulted in injuries to and the deaths of civilians.
