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In March 1990, savage fighting broke out between Mandela's ANC supporters and
the rival Zulu-based Inkatha party, led by Mongosuthu G. Buthelezi (1928-),
after thousands of Zulus were forced out of their homes in ANC-loyal areas of
the southeastern province of Natal. There Zulu Inkatha members, armed with guns,
knives, and sticks, battled for control of the villages in the rugged Edendale
Valley, where South African troops helped police stop the bloodshed and restore
order. Factional fights broke out in other areas that police struggled to halt.
From July to September 1990, the bloodiest clashes in modern South African
history occurred when Inkatha launched raids in the Transvaal townships, where
an estimated 800 persons were slain and ANC supporters boldly defended
themselves. Police with machine guns stiffled the hostilities, but afterward
sporadic fighting between the rival factions took place until 1994.
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