Death of Steve Biko

Date: September 12, 1977 • Location: Port Elizabeth, South Africa

South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko died after being beaten in police custody in Port Elizabeth.

Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. It also existed in South West Africa. It was characterized by an authoritarian political culture based on baasskap, which ensured that South Africa was dominated politically, socially, and economically by the nation's minority white population. Under this minoritarian system, white citizens held the highest status, while other groups were classified as Indian/Asian, Coloured and Black African, with differing rights and privileges.