Migration is a human right, How the Sharpeville massacre changed the United Nations, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Philip H. Frankel, An Ordinary Atrocity: Sharpeville and its Massacre (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001); Henry F. Jackson, From the Congo to Soweto: U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Africa Since 1960 (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1982); Meredith Martin, The History of Apartheid: The Story of the Colour War in South Africa (New York: London House & Maxwell, 1962). [9] The Sharpeville police were not completely unprepared for the demonstration, as they had already driven smaller groups of more militant activists away the previous night. Our work on the Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, the African work force in the Cape went on strike for a period of two weeks and mass marches were staged in Durban. NO DEFENCE! Police officers attempted to use tear gas to repel these advances, but it proved ineffectual, and the police fell back on the use of their batons. On 20 March Nana Mahomo and Peter Molotsi has crossed the border into Bechuanaland to mobilize support for the PAC. In March 1960, South African police shot dead 69 black protestors, sparking worldwide outrage . A lot of Afrikaners felt a sense of guilt for the behavior they allowed to happen from their race towards another. The Sharpeville massacre was a turning point in South African history. What Was The Cause Of The Sharpeville Massacre - 97 Words | Bartleby When the news of the Sharpeville Massacre reached Cape Town a group of between 1000 to 5000 protestors gathered at the Langa Flats bus terminus around 17h00 on 21 March 1960. Sharpeville Massacre Newzroom Afrika 229K subscribers Subscribe 178 Share 19K views 2 years ago As South Africa commemorates Human Rights Day, victims and families of those who died at the. . [17], Not all reactions were negative: embroiled in its opposition to the Civil Rights Movement, the Mississippi House of Representatives voted a resolution supporting the South African government "for its steadfast policy of segregation and the [staunch] adherence to their traditions in the face of overwhelming external agitation. Policemen in Cape Town were forcing Africans back to work with batons and sjamboks, and four people were shot and killed in Durban. As the campaign went on, the apartheid government started imposing strict punishments on people who violated the segregationist laws. Its been 60 years since the Sharpeville massacre, when 69 unarmed civilians were killed by armed South African police on March 21 1960. These protestors included a large number of northern college students. The Sharpeville Massacre occurred on March 21, 1960, in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa. What event happened on March 21 1960? Race, ethnicity and political groups, is an example of this. Eyewitness accounts of the Sharpeville massacre 1960 The day of the Massacre, mourning the dead and getting over the shock of the event Baileys African History Archive (BAHA) Tom Petrus, author of 'My Life Struggle', Ravan Press. They were mild campaigns at first, but as the government became more hostile, so did ANC protests. Langa Township was gripped by tension and in the turmoil that ensued, In the violence that followed an employee of the Cape Times newspaper Richard Lombard was killed by the rioting crowd. [2] In present-day South Africa, 21 March is celebrated as a public holiday in honour of human rights and to commemorate the Sharpeville massacre. According to his "Testimony about the Launch of the Campaign," Sobukwe declared: To read more witness accounts of the Sharpeville Massacre, click on the, According to an account from Humphrey Tyler, the assistant editor at, Afrikaner Nationalism, Anglo American and Iscor: formation of Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation, 1960-70 in Business History", The Sharpeville Massacre: Its historic significance in the struggle against apartheid, The PAC's War against the State 1960-1963, in The Road to Democracy in South Africa: 1960-1970, The Sharpeville Massacre - A watershed in SouthAfrica, Saluting Sharpevilles heroes, and South Africa's human rights, New Books | Robert Sobukwes letters from prison, South African major mass killings timeline 1900-2012, Origins: Formation, Sharpeville and banning, 1959-1960, 1960-1966: The genesis of the armed struggle, Womens resistance in the 1960s - Sharpeville and its aftermath, Eyewitness accounts of the Sharpeville massacre 1960, List of victims of police action, 21 March, 1960 (Sharpeville and Langa), A tragic turning-point: remembering Sharpeville fifty years on by Paul Maylam, Apartheid: Sharpeville Massacre, 21 March 1960, Commission of Enquiry into the Occurrences at Sharpeville (and other places) on the 21st March, 1960, Volume 1, Johannesburg, 15 June 1960, Commission of Enquiry into the Occurrences at Sharpeville (and other places) on the 21st March, 1960, Volume 2, Johannesburg, 15 June 1960, Documents, and articles relating to the Sharpeville Massacre 1960, Editorial comment: The legacy of Sharpeville, From Our Vault: Sharpeville, A Crime That Still Echoes by J Brooks Spector, 21 March 2013, South Africa, Message to the PAC on Sharpeville Day by Livingstone Mqotsi, Notes on the origins of the movement for Sanctions against South Africa by E.S. The South African government began arresting more nonconformists and banning resistance organizations, such as the African National Congress and the Pan African Congress. As well as the introduction of the Race Convention, Sharpeville also spurred other moves at the UN that changed the way it could act against countries that breached an individuals human rights. With the election of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa in 1994, the apartheid system ended. However, the governments method of controlling people who resisted the apartheid laws didnt have the same effect from the early 1970s and onward. Amid confusion, two shots were fired into the air by somebody in the crowd. This translates as shot or shoot. These resolutions established two important principles: that the human rights provisions in the UN Charter created binding obligations for member states, and the UN could intervene directly in situations involving serious violations of human rights. About 69 Blacks were killed and more than 180 wounded, some 50 women and children being among the victims. Tafelberg Publishers: Cape Town. [6]:p.163, The African National Congress (ANC) prepared to initiate a campaign of protests against pass laws. The policemen were apparently jittery after a recent event in Durban where nine policemen were shot. Eyewitness accounts and evidence later led to an official inquiry which attested to the fact that large number of people were shot in the back as they were fleeing the scene. The presence of armoured vehicles and air force fighter jets overhead also pointed to unnecessary provocation, especially as the crowd was unarmed and determined to stage a non-violent protest. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Other PAC members tried to stop bus drivers from going on duty and this resulted in a lack transport for Sharpeville residents who worked in Vereeniging. Following the dismantling of apartheid, South African President Nelson Mandela chose Sharpeville as the site at which, on December 10, 1996, he signed into law the countrys new constitution. Following the Brown decision, grassroots African American activists began challenging segregation through protests continuing into the 1960s (Aiken et al., 2013). Over five thousand individuals came to protest the cause in Sharpeville. Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. OHCHRs regional representative Abigail Noko used the opportunity to call on all decision-makers to give youth a seat at the decision-making table. "[1] He also denied giving any order to fire and stated that he would not have done so. There were 249 victims in total, including 29 children, with 69 people killed and 180 injured. All the evidence points to the gathering being peaceful and good humoured. The police also have said that the crowd was armed with 'ferocious weapons', which littered the compound after they fled. When the marchers reached Sharpeville's police station a heavy contingent of policemen were lined up outside, many on top of British-made Saracen armored cars. Its similar to an article in south africa that people have with racial segregation between black and white . Sharpeville massacre | Summary, Significance, & Facts The adoption of the Race Convention was quickly followed by the international covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and on Civil and Political Rights in 1966, introduced to give effect to the rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1960 it was the site of one of the earliest and most violent demonstrations against apartheid . The PAC and the African National Congress, another antiapartheid party, were banned. These resolutions established two important principles: that the human rights provisions in the UN Charter created binding obligations for member states, and that the UN could intervene directly in situations involving serious violations of human rights. We must listen to them, learn from them, and work with them to build a better future.. A dompass in those days was an Identification Document that determined who you were, your birth date, what race you are and permission from your employers to be in a specific place at a specific time. In March 1960, Robert Sobukwe, a leader in the anti-apartheid Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) organized the towns first anti-apartheid protest. During this event 5,000 to 7,000 protesters went to the police station after a day of demonstrations, offering themselves for arrest for not carrying passbooks. [4] Leading up to the Sharpeville massacre, the National Party administration under the leadership of Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd used these laws to enforce greater racial segregation[5] and, in 19591960, extended them to include women. Sharpeville Massacre - South Africa: Overcoming Apartheid They met a police line a few blocks from the Courthouse and were forbidden from proceeding because they did not have a parade permit (Reed 26). In addition other small groups of PAC activists presented themselves at police stations in Durban and East London. By standing strong in the face of danger, the adults and children taking part in this demonstration were able to fight for their constitutional right to vote. At 13h15 a small scuffle began near the entrance of the police station. Nearly 300 police officers arrived to put an end to the peaceful protest. Only the four Native Representatives and members of the new Progressive Party voted against the Bill. The Sharpsville Massacre was a seminal moment in the history of South Africa. All blacks were required to carry ``pass books ' ' containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black areas. A posseman. It's been 60 years since the Sharpeville massacre, when 69 unarmed civilians were killed by armed South African police on March 21 1960. [1], Victims were buried en masse in a ceremony performed by clergy. Under the country's National Party government, African residents in urban districts were subject to influx control measures. The rally began peacefully, the iron bell was rung (usually it was rung to signal victories in football games) and one speaker started to speak. Along the way small groups of people joined him. Confrontation in the township of Sharpeville, Gauteng Province. The massacre was one of the catalysts for a shift from passive resistance to armed resistance by these organisations. Selinah was shot in her leg but survived the massacre. The South African governments repressive measures in response to the Sharpeville Massacre, however, intensified and expended the opposition to apartheid, ushering in three decades of resistance and protest in the country and increasing condemnation by world leaders. Knowing the democracy we have today was achieved in part because of the blood we sacrificed was worth it, she says.