On Friday October 14, current and past pupils, staff and former staff gathered at Belgravia High, which celebrates 60 years of existence, to mark the 31st anniversary of the Trojan Horse Massacre in Thornton Road, Athlone, and the role of high school student activists in the struggle against apartheid (“Bellies rings in 60 years”, Athlone News, October 12). On October 15, 1985, student protesters were ambushed by security police hiding in crates on the back of a Railways truck. They opened fire, killing Jonathan Claasen, 21, Shaun Magmoed, 15, Michael Miranda, aged 11, and injuring many others. The incident was filmed by an international television crew and aired across the world, putting the spotlight on apartheid era atrocities in South Africa. The families of Shaun Magmoed and Michael Miranda also attended Friday’s event.
