The march was organised to demand an end to the Ciskeian military government of Brigadier Joshua Gqozo and the re-absorbtion of the so-called black homeland into South Africa.

The protest - led by ANC secretary-general Cyril Ramaphosa and attended by 50,000 people - began at a stadium in King William's Town, and then headed towards the Ciskeian capital of Bisho.

Brigadier Gqozo had warned he would meet force with even greater force, and his troops and police were on standby at the border.

When the demonstrators tried to cross into Ciskei, soldiers opened fire and continued firing indiscriminately into the crowd for about five minutes.

After two volleys of machine gun fire, the troops also fired rifle grenades into the gathering, spreading fear and panic among the protestors.

It has been reported that four young men were shot in the back as they attempted to run away from the firing.