1990 Ciskei coup d'état
Bloodless military coup d'état in Ciskei / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1990 Ciskei coup d'état was a bloodless military coup in Ciskei, an unrecognised state and a nominally independent South African homeland for the Xhosa people, which took place on 4 March 1990. The coup was led by the then 37-year-old Brigadier Oupa Gqozo, the Chief of Staff Intelligence of the Ciskei Defence Force, against the government of President for Life Lennox Sebe (CNIP), who was on a state visit to Hong Kong at the time.[1][2][3] The coup was followed by widespread rioting and looting, prompting Gqozo to request that the South African government send SADF troops to help restore order.
Date | 4 March 1990; 34 years ago (1990-03-04) |
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Location | Bisho |
Type | Military coup |
Motive | Regime change |
Target | CNIP–led government of Lennox Sebe |
Organised by | Oupa Gqozo |
Participants | Ciskei Defence Force (faction) |
Outcome | Coup succeeds
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Subsequently, Gqozo's military government survived several coup attempts, most notably the February 1991 attempt, led by the Chief of the Ciskei Defence Force, Brigadier Andrew Jamangile.[4][5][6] Gqozo stayed in power until his resignation in March 1994,[7] several weeks before the reunification of Ciskei with South Africa after the first post-apartheid general election.[8]