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Witness History: The Assassination of Ruth First

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The Assassination of Ruth First

17/08/2012 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, The Assassination of Ruth First

The parcel bomb attack that killed anti-apartheid activist Ruth First in 1982.

In August 1982 the anti-apartheid activist Ruth First was killed by a bomb delivered to her office, hidden in a parcel. A former political prisoner, she was living in exile in Mozambique.

Former anti-apartheid activist Alpheus Manghezi recalls the day in August 1982 when his colleague Ruth First was killed by a parcel bomb delivered to her office. Both Manghezi and First were living in exile in Mozambique. Manghezi describes how he visited the scene together with the Mozambican president, Samora Machel. The assassins were later identified as agents of the South African state.

(Image: Former South African president Nelson Mandela unveiling a plaque dedicated to Ruth First and Joe Slovo in London. Credit: Getty Images)

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