Along with other PAC leaders he was charged with incitement, but while on bail he left the country and went into exile. When an estimated group of 5000 marchers reached Sharpeville police station, the police opened fire killing 69 people and injuring 180 others in what became known as the Sharpeville Massacre. Along the way small groups of people joined him. But in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, the UN adopted a more interventionist stance towards the apartheid state. There were 249 victims in total, including 29 children, with 69 people killed and 180 injured. In March 1960, South African police shot dead 69 black protestors, sparking worldwide outrage . Pogrund,B. In order to reduce the possibility of violence, he wrote a letter to the Sharpeville police commissioner announcing the upcoming protest and emphasizing that its participants would be non-violent. p. 334- 336|Historical Papers Archive of the University of the Witwatersrand [online] Accessed at: wits.ac.za and SAHA archive [link no longer available]. Although the protests were anticipated, no one could have predicted the consequences and the repercussions this would have for South African and world politics. During the shooting about 69 black people were killed. However, the 1289 Words 6 Pages Police were temporarily paralyzed with indecision. In Cape Town, an estimated 95% of the African population and a substantial number of the Coloured community joined the stay away. Find out more about our work towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Later the crowd grew to about 20,000,[5] and the mood was described as "ugly",[5] prompting about 130 police reinforcements, supported by four Saracen armoured personnel carriers, to be rushed in. Police arrested more than 11,000 people and kept them in jail. Policemen in Cape Town were forcing Africans back to work with batons and sjamboks, and four people were shot and killed in Durban. Pass laws intended to control and direct their movement and employment were updated in the 1950s. The argument against apartheid was now framed as a specific manifestation of a wider battle for human rights, and it was the only political system mentioned in the convention: Nazism and antisemitism were not included. Participants were instructed to surrender their reference books (passes) and invite arrest. The campaign slogan was "NO BAIL! Stephen Wheatley is a professor of international law at Lancaster University. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. March 21 is a public holiday in South Africa in commemoration of the Sharpeville massacre. . 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. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Its been 60 years since dozens of protesters were killed at a peaceful anti-apartheid rally in South Africa. [20], Sharpeville was the site selected by President Nelson Mandela for the signing into law of the Constitution of South Africa on 10 December 1996. It is likely that the police were quick to fire as two months before the massacre, nine constables had been assaulted and killed, some disembowelled, during a raid at Cato Manor. 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. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. With the election of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa in 1994, the apartheid system ended. 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 massacre occurred at the police station in the South African township of Sharpeville, A child demonstrates in front of Johannesburgs city hall after the Sharpeville massacre (AFP/Getty), The aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, The BritishAnti-Apartheid Movement marks the tenth anniversary of the massacre with a re-enactmentin Trafalgar Square, A family member stands next to a memorial toone of the victims of the Sharpeville massacre ahead of Human Rights Day in 2016 (AFP/Getty), Its been 60 years since dozens of protesters were killed at a peaceful anti-apartheid rally in South Africa. Accounting & Finance; Business, Companies and Organisation, Activity; Case Studies; Economy & Economics; Marketing and Markets; People in Business The Sharpeville massacre sparked hundreds of mass protests by black South Africans. Ingrid de Kok was a child living on a mining compound near Johannesburg where her father worked at the time of the Sharpeville massacre. Unfortunately, police forces arrived and open fired on the protesters, killing ninety-six in what became known as the Sharpeville massacre. It was adopted on 21 December 1965. However, Foreign Consulates were flooded with requests for emigration, and fearful White South Africans armed themselves. Robert Sobukwe and other leaders were arrested and detained after the Sharpeville massacre, some for nearly three years after the incident. This set the UN on the path towards the recognition of all human rights for all, and, eventually, the establishment of the Human Rights Council, and the Universal Periodic Review of the human rights performance of all states. Within hours the news of the killing at Sharpeville was flashed around the world. Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. 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. Updates? This angered the officers causing them to brutally attack and tear gas the demonstrators. This abuse towards people of colour in South Africa made people around the world want to protest against South Africa's government. [5] The police began shooting shortly thereafter. After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. Early on the 21st the local PAC leaders first gathered in a field not far from the Sharpeville police station, when a sizable crowd of people had joined them they proceeded to the police station - chanting freedom songs and calling out the campaign slogans "Izwe lethu" (Our land); "Awaphele amapasti" (Down with passes); "Sobukwe Sikhokhele" (Lead us Sobukwe); "Forward to Independence,Tomorrow the United States of Africa.". 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. Under the country's National Party government, African residents in urban districts were subject to influx control measures. As the protesters tried to flee the violent scene, police continued to shoot into the crowd. Amid confusion, two shots were fired into the air by somebody in the crowd. On the day passes were suspended (25 March 1960) Kgosana led another march of between 2000 and 5000 people from Langa to Caledon Square. Police reports in 1960 claimed that young and inexperienced police officers panicked and opened fire spontaneously, setting off a chain reaction that lasted about forty seconds. On the 21st of March 1960, black residents of Sharpeville took to the police station to protest against the use of the dompas in South Africa. Sources disagree as to the behaviour of the crowd: some state that the crowd was peaceful, while others state that the crowd had been hurling stones at the police and that the mood had turned "ugly". 20072023 Blackpast.org. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship. In 1946, the UN established the Commission on Human Rights, whose first job was to draft a declaration on human rights. apartheid: aftermath of the deadly Sharpeville demonstration, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Sharpeville-massacre, Canadian Museum for Human Rights - The Sharpeville Massacre, South African History Online - Sharpeville Massacre, Sharpeville massacre - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Sharpeville massacre - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The University had tried to ban the protest; they handed out 12,000 leaflets saying the event was cancelled. 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). The Sharpeville massacre, the name given to the murder of 69 unarmed civilians by armed South African police, took place on 21 March 1960. At the end of the bridge, they were met by many law enforcement officers holding weapons; thus, the demonstrators were placing their lives in danger. The United Nations Security Council and governments worldwide condemned the police action and the apartheid policies that prompted this violent assault. The apartheid system forcefully suppressed any resistance, such as at Sharpeville on March 21 1960, when 69 blacks were killed, and the Soweto Riots 1976-77, when 576 people died. A week later, a breakaway group from the ANC, the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) held its first conference in Johannesburg. Sharpeville, a black suburb outside of Vereeniging (about fifty miles south of Johannesburg), was untouched by anti-apartheid demonstrations that occurred in surrounding towns throughout the 1950s. As part of its response, the General Assembly tasked the UN Commission on Human Rights to prepare the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the first global human rights treaty. The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960 at the police station in the township of Sharpeville in the then Transvaal Province of the then Union of South Africa (today part of Gauteng). This march is seen by many as a turning point in South African history. That date now marks the International Day for the. Eyewitness accounts attest to the fact that the people were given no warning to disperse. On 24 March 1960, in protest of the massacre, Regional Secretary General of the PAC, Philip Kgosana, led a march of 101 people from Langa to the police headquarters in Caledon Square, Cape Town. The march was also led by Clarence Makwetu, the Secretary of the PACs New Flats branch. Steven Wheatley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. Following shortly, the Group Areas Act of 1950 was enacted as a new form of legislation alongside the Population Registration Act. All blacks were required to carry ``pass books ' ' containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black areas. March 21, is celebrated as a public holiday in honor of human rights and to commemorate the . On 20 March Nana Mahomo and Peter Molotsi has crossed the border into Bechuanaland to mobilize support for the PAC. The ANC and PAC were forced underground, and both parties launched military wings of their organisations in 1961. Business Studies. (2007), New History of South Africa. In conclusion; Sharpeville, the imposition of a state of emergency, the arrest of thousands of Black people and the banning of the ANC and PAC convinced the anti-apartheid leadership that non-violent action was not going to bring about change without armed action. As they attempted to disperse the crowd, a police officer was knocked down and many in the crowd began to move forward to see what had happened. Robert Sobukwe and other leaders were arrested and detained after the Sharpeville massacre, some for nearly three years after the incident. (1997) Focus: 'Prisoner 1', Sunday Life, 23 March. It is also a day to reflect on the progress that has been made in ensuring basic human rights for all South Africans, as enshrined in our Constitution. The impact of the events in Cape Town were felt in other neighbouring towns such as Paarl, Stellenbosch, Somerset West and Hermanus as anti-pass demonstrations spread. The PAC organised demonstration attracted between 5,000 and 7,000 protesters. Lancaster University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. Tafelberg Publishers: Cape Town. And with the 24th Amendment, Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Voting Rights Act of 1965 being ratified, the civil rights movement and the fight to end segregation reached its legal goal (infoplease.com). On 24 March 1960, in protest of the . This shows a major similarity as they wanted to achieve the same things. The reactions of white South Africans to the revelations of the Truth Commission can be divided into two main groups There are those who refuse point-blank to take any responsibility and are always advancing reasons why the commission should be rejected and regarded as a costly waste of money. The event was an inspiration for painter Oliver Lee Jackson in his Sharpeville Series from the 1970s.[23]. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. The ban remained in effect until August 31, 1960. As part of its response, the General Assembly tasked the UN Commission on Human Rights to prepare the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the first global human rights treaty. Yet only three policemen were reported to have been hit by stones - and more than 200 Africans were shot down. Plaatjie, T. (1998) Focus: 'Sharpeville Heroes Neglected', The Sowetan, 20 March.|Reverend Ambrose Reeves (1966). Following the Brown decision, grassroots African American activists began challenging segregation through protests continuing into the 1960s (Aiken et al., 2013). According to an account from Humphrey Tyler, the assistant editor at Drum magazine: The police have claimed they were in desperate danger because the crowd was stoning them. Under this system there was an extended period of gruesome violence against individuals of colored skin in South Africa. [12], Many White South Africans were also horrified by the massacre. By continuing to use this site, you consent to the terms of our cookie policy, which can be found in our. Some 20,000 Blacks gathered near a police station at Sharpeville, located about 30 miles (50 km) south of Johannesburg. The Sharpsville Massacre was a seminal moment in the history of South Africa. Three people were killed and 26 others were injured. On March 21, 1960, police in Sharpeville, South Africa, shot hundreds of people protesting laws that restricted the movement of blacks. Fewer than 20 police officers were present in the station at the start of the protest. Sharpeville Massacre, The Origin of South Africa's Human Rights Day [online], available at: africanhistory.about.com [accessed 10 March 2009]|Thloloe, J. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The commission completed this task, under the chairmanship of Eleanor Roosevelt, when it finalised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The call for a stay away on 28 March was highly successful and was the first ever national strike in the countrys history. The 1960 Sharpeville Massacre was the result of a peaceful protest regarding racist South African policies of apartheid. But change can also be prompted by seemingly minor events in global affairs, such as the Sharpeville massacre the so-called butterfly effect. Find out what the UN in South Africa is doing towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960 at the police station in the township of Sharpeville in the then Transvaal Province of the then Union of South Africa (today part of Gauteng ). Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. We need the voices of young people to break through the silence that locks in discrimination and oppression. Selinah Mnguniwas 23 years old and already three months pregnant when she was injured in the Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960. This affirmed that the elimination of racial discrimination was a global challenge that affronted the respect and dignity of all human beings. By the end of the day, 69 people lay dead or dying, with hundreds more injured. In 1960 it was the site of one of the earliest and most violent demonstrations against apartheid. Sharpeville massacre, (March 21, 1960), incident in the Black township of Sharpeville, near Vereeniging, South Africa, in which police fired on a crowd of Black people, killing or wounding some 250 of them. Selinah was shot in her leg but survived the massacre. But even still, southern activists worked to defend the practice of segregation. Philip Finkie Molefe, responsible for establishing the first Assemblies of God church in the Vaal, was among the clergy that conducted the service.[11]. Krog was one of these Afrikaners. The Supreme Courts decision in the famous and landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 set a precedent for desegregation in schools. The police were armed with firearms, including Sten submachine guns and LeeEnfield rifles. The laws said that blacks could not enter white areas unless they carried documents known as pass books. The moral outrage surrounding these events led the United Nations General Assembly to pronounce 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which recognized racism as a gross human rights violation. The key developments were the adoption of Resolution 1235 in 1967, which allowed for the examination of complaints of gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as exemplified by the policy of apartheid, and Resolution 1503 in 1970, which allowed the UN to examine complaints of a consistent pattern of gross and reliably attested violations of human rights. The Sharpeville Massacre occurred on March 21, 1960, in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa. This day is now commemorated annually in South Africa as a public . In addition other small groups of PAC activists presented themselves at police stations in Durban and East London. However, many people joined the procession quite willingly. A robust humanrights framework is the only way to provide a remedy for those injustices, tackle inequality and underlying structural differences, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the campaign went on, the apartheid government started imposing strict punishments on people who violated the segregationist laws. It also contributed the headline story at the Anti-Racism Live Global Digital Experience that marked March 21 internationally with acclaimed artists, actors and prominent speakers from South Africa including Thuli Madonsela, Zulaikha Patel and Zwai Bala. The enforcement of Pass Laws and the reissue of laws that restricted the. The logjam was only broken after the Sharpeville massacre, as the UN decided to deal with the problem of apartheid South Africa. (2000) Focus: 'Lest We Forget', Sunday World, 19 March. It include with civil right that violence verses non-violence that the government could or. The Sharpeville massacre was a turning point in South African history. Youth standing up against racism was the 2021 theme, aimed at fostering a global culture of tolerance, equality and non-discrimination that calls on each one of us to stand up against racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes. On that day, demonstrations against the pass laws, which restricted the rights of the majority black population in apartheid South Africa, began in the early morning in Sharpeville, a township in Transvaal.
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