Biko, Steve, 1946-1977

Bantu Stephen Biko was born in Kingwilliamstown on the 18th December 1946. He was educated at Marianhill Secondary School in Kwazulu. He entered the Medical School of the University of Natal (Black Section), 1966; he and his colleagues founded the South African Students' Organisation (SASO) in 1968. He was elected the first President of the organisation at its inaugural congress held at Turfloop in 1969; he was instrumental in the formation of one of SASO's projects, the Black Workers' Project (BWP) which was co-sponsored by the Black Community Programmes (BCP) the project addressed problems of Black workers whose unions were then not recognised in law; After serving as President, Biko was elected Publications Director of SASO where he wrote prolifically under the pen name Frank Talk in the SASO Newsletter; he was expelled from medical school in 1972 and joined the BCP; in March 1973 he was banned and restricted to Kingwilliamstown, there he set up a BCP office where he worked as aBranch Executive, but shortly afterwards his banning order was amended to prohibit him from working or associating with the BCP; on 18th August 1977, he was arrested in a police roadblock with his colleague and comrade, Peter Cyril Jones and detained under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act. He died in custody, on 12 Sept 1977.

From the guide to the BIKO, Bantu Stephen (1946-1977), Jan 1971, (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)