Members of the Rhodes University campus control unit attempted to prevent a peaceful placard protest against detentions of students by the Black Students Movement (BSM) at the graduation ceremony at the 1820s Settlers Monument.
On the morning of Saturday 21 October 1989, the women of Pietermaritzburg protested against police brutality and, in particular, the placing of razor wire around St Albans Cathedral in Pretoria on the 23rd of September. St Peter's Church was surrounded with protestors as part of this action.
Mass Democratic Movement (MDM) organised a Freedom March in Durban. The March began with an interfaith service and ended with a mass rally outside the Durban City Hall. It is estimated that a crowd of 20000 were waving banners and posters in order to call for the end of a state of emergency.