- Bhisho
Bhisho, formerly known as Bisho, is the capital of the
Eastern Cape Province inSouth Africa . The Provincial legislature and many other government departments are headquartered in the town. Bhisho lies just north of the former provincial capitalKing William's Town . The town is also host to the longest international airport runway in Southern Africa.Fact|date=July 2008Bhisho is the
Xhosa word for buffalo, which is also the name of theriver that runs through this town.Former capital of the Ciskei
Under its former name of Bisho, it was the capital of the former
bantustan ofCiskei . Ciskei was nominally granted independence in1981 , although this was never recognised outside South Africa, and was reincorporated into South Africa in12 august .Bisho massacre
On 7 September 1992, this small town became the scene of what is known as the Bisho Massacre, when about 80-100,000 people marched on Bisho protesting for the dismantling of the Ciskei, which still maintained a measure of independence, and removal of Ciskei leader Brigadier Oupa Gqozo. The Ciskei Defence Force opened fire, shooting dead 28 or 29 people, and wounding 100. The massacre came at a critical time when negotiations towards democracy were underway.
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