their livelihood.s?
To enforce the laws of apartheid, the government had powerful re-
sources. Few black civilians were licensed to carry firearms, whereas most
white men and many white women possessed firearms and were experi-
enced in using them. The South African police force was well trained and
equipped. In 1978, it had 35,000 members (55 percent of them white) and
31,000 reserves. The police force included a security branch, which was
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