That impact is best broken down into its short-term, medium-term, and long-term significance. The incident resulted in the largest number of South African deaths (up to that point) in a protest against apartheid. The event was an inspiration for painter Oliver Lee Jackson in his Sharpeville Series from the 1970s.[23]. Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. The row of graves of the 69 people killed by police at the Sharpeville Police Station on 21 March 1960. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, "Outside South Africa there were widespread reactions to Sharpeville in many countries which in many cases led to positive action against South Africa"., E.g., "[I]mmediately following the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa, over 1000 students demonstrated in Sydney against the apartheid system"., United Nations Security Council Resolution 610, United Nations Security Council Resolution 615, "The Sharpeville Massacre A watershed in South Africa", "The photos that changed history Ian Berry; Sharpeville Massacre", "Sharpeville Massacre, The Origin of South Africa's Human Rights Day", "Influential religious leader with 70-years in ministry to be laid to rest", "The Sharpeville Massacre - A watershed in South Africa", "Macmillan, Verwoerd and the 1960 'Wind of Change' Speech", "Naming history's forgotten fighters: South Africa's government is setting out to forget some of the alliance who fought against apartheid. Throughout the 1950s, South African blacks intensified their resistance against the oppressive apartheid system. Furthermore, a new police station was created, from which the police were energetic to check passes, deporting illegal residents, and raiding illegal shebeens. Although blood was not shed on Krogs hands directly, she took on the shame of her race. Lancaster University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. By comparing and contrasting the American Jim Crow Laws and South African apartheid, we have evidence that both nations constitutions led to discrimination, activism, reform and reconciliation. Accounting & Finance; Business, Companies and Organisation, Activity; Case Studies; Economy & Economics; Marketing and Markets; People in Business The Sharpeville massacre also touched off three decades of protest in South Africa, ultimately leading to freedom for Nelson Mandela, who had spent 27 years in prison. 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. The targeted protest became infamous in the Civil Rights Movement, marked Bloody Sunday and was crucial to gaining favor of the public (civilrights.org). The Sharpeville massacre was a turning point in South African history. The PAC called on its supporters to leave their passes at home on the appointed date and gather at police stations around the country, making themselves available for arrest. "[1] He also denied giving any order to fire and stated that he would not have done so. By the end of the day, 69 people lay dead or dying, with hundreds more injured. A week after the state of emergency was declared the ANC and the PAC were banned under the Unlawful Organisations Act of 8 April 1960. Sixty-nine Africans were killed and 186 were wounded, with most shot in the back. As the protesters tried to flee the violent scene, police continued to shoot into the crowd. All the evidence points to the gathering being peaceful and good-humoured. Selinah Mnguniwas 23 years old and already three months pregnant when she was injured in the Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960. After demonstrating against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000 protesters went to the police station. 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. Race, ethnicity and political groups, is an example of this. As the number of UN members from Africa increased, the commission reversed its no power to act position and turned its attention to the human rights situation in South Africa. Eventually a few of the demonstrators dared to cross the street, led by James Forman who had organized the march. 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. Approximately 10,000 Africans were forcibly removed to Sharpeville. 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. Kgosana agreed to disperse the protestors in if a meeting with J B Vorster, then Minister of Justice, could be secured. All the evidence points to the gathering being peaceful and good humoured. The Sharpeville massacre. In March 1960, South African police shot dead 69 black protestors, sparking worldwide outrage . However, Foreign Consulates were flooded with requests for emigration, and fearful White South Africans armed themselves. Pogrund,B. Philip Finkie Molefe, responsible for establishing the first Assemblies of God church in the Vaal, was among the clergy that conducted the service.[11]. 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. Ingrid de Kok was a child living on a mining compound near Johannesburg where her father worked at the time of the Sharpeville massacre. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. The Sharpeville Massacre took place in a south african police station of Sharpeville. A black person would be of or accepted as a member of an African tribe or race, and a colored person is one that is not black or white. [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. Significant reshaping of international law is often the result of momentous occurrences, most notably the two world wars. The ban remained in effect until August 31, 1960. 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. There was no evidence that anyone in the gathering was armed with anything other than stones. Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Black citizens began to resist this prejudice though and also used violence against the enforcers of Apartheid. Baileys African History. 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 1965 Race Convention: nazism and antisemitism were not included. As the campaign went on, the apartheid government started imposing strict punishments on people who violated the segregationist laws. The Sharpeville massacre sparked hundreds of mass protests by black South Africans. (2007), New History of South Africa. 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. Sharpeville had a high rate of unemployment as well as high crime rates. For the next two and a half decades, the commission held to this position on the basis that the UN Charter only required states to promote, rather than protect, human rights. Policemen in Cape Town were forcing Africans back to work with batons and sjamboks, and four people were shot and killed in Durban. 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 ). Do you find this information helpful? Professor of International Law, Lancaster University. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. A United Nations photograph by Kay Muldoon, Courtesy of the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa, SATIS (Southern Africa - the Imprisoned Society). Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. By continuing to use this site, you consent to the terms of our cookie policy, which can be found in our. For the next two and a half decades, the commission held to this position on the basis that the UN Charter only required states to promote, rather than protect, human rights. Mandela went into hiding in 1964, he was captured, tried, and sentenced to life imprisonment. All that changed following the worlds moral outrage at the killings. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. Fewer than 20 police officers were present in the station at the start of the protest. 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. He became South Africa's . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The South African government then created the Unlawful Organizations Act of 1960 which banned anti-apartheid groups such as the Pan Africanist Congress and the African National Congress. 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. 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. As the number of UN members from Africa increased, the commission reversed its no power to act position and turned its attention to the human rights situation in South Africa. Furthermore, during the nineties to the twenties, leaders of African Americans sought to end segregation in the South, as caused by Plessy v. Ferguson. The event has been seen by some as a turning point in South African history. Now aged 84, Selinah says she is still proud of her efforts to end apartheid. Sharpeville is a township near Vereeniging, in the Gauteng province of South Africa . Stephen Wheatley explores how this tragedy paved the way for the modern United Nations, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. The quest for international support, mass mobilization, armed operations, and underground organization became the basis for the ANCs Four Pillars of Struggle. In her moving poem Our Sharpeville she reflects on the atrocity through the eyes of a child. This was in direct defiance of the government's country-wide ban on public meetings and gatherings of more than ten persons. In addition other small groups of PAC activists presented themselves at police stations in Durban and East London. [10] Some insight into the mindset of those on the police force was provided by Lieutenant Colonel Pienaar, the commanding officer of the police reinforcements at Sharpeville, who said in his statement that "the native mentality does not allow them to gather for a peaceful demonstration. At 13h15 a small scuffle began near the entrance of the police station. Journalists who rushed there from other areas, after receiving word that the campaign was a runaway success confirmed "that for all their singing and shouting the crowd's mood was more festive than belligerent" (David M. Sibeko, 1976). It was adopted on 21 December 1965. International sympathy lay with the African people, leading to an economic slump as international investors withdrew from South Africa and share prices on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange plummeted. But even still, southern activists worked to defend the practice of segregation. Many thousands of individuals applied for the amnesty program and a couple thousand testified through the course of 2 years. This day is now commemorated annually in South Africa as a public . 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. Some of them remain in prison", "Sharpeville Memorial, Theunis Kruger Street, Dicksonville, Sharpville ABLEWiki", Calls for inquiry into Israels Gaza killings, Storming of the Kempton Park World Trade Centre, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sharpeville_massacre&oldid=1140778365, Killings by law enforcement officers in South Africa, Short description is different from Wikidata, Use South African English from April 2016, All Wikipedia articles written in South African English, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 19:08. Only the four Native Representatives and members of the new Progressive Party voted against the Bill. Sharpeville Massacre, The Origin of South Africa's Human Rights Day [online], available at: africanhistory.about.com [accessed 10 March 2009]|Thloloe, J. To read more about the protests in Cape Town. The foundation of Poqo, the military wing of the PAC, and Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC, followed shortly afterwards. In Pretoria a small group of six people presented themselves at the Hercules police station. Eyewitness accounts attest to the fact that the people were given no warning to disperse. On the day passes were suspended (25 March 1960) Kgosana led another march of between 2000 and 5000 people from Langa to Caledon Square. Courtesy BaileySeippel Gallery/BAHA Source. All Rights Reserved. This translates as shot or shoot. What event happened on March 21 1960? 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. However, the police simply took down the protesters names and did not arrest anyone. The incident resulted in the largest number of South African deaths (up to that point) in a protest against apartheid . In November 1961, a military branch of the party was organized with Mandela as its head. Baileys African History Archive (BAHA)Crowds fleeing from bullets on the day of the Massacre. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. The Minister of Justice called for calm and the Minister of Finance encouraged immigration. He was tricked into dispersing the crowd and was arrested by the police later that day. The significance of the date is reflected in the fact that. 26 Black policemen and 365 Black civilians were injured no White police men were killed and only 60 were injured. In 1960 it was the site of one of the earliest and most violent demonstrations against apartheid . These laws restricted blacks movements within the country. The ANC Vice-President, Oliver Tambo, was secretly driven across the border by Ronel Segal into the then British controlled territory of Bechunaland. He was followed by Dr. Yusuf Dadoo, Chairperson of the South African Indian Congress and Chairperson of the underground South African Communist Party. The events also prompted theInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminationwhich took effect on 4 January 1969. Following the Brown decision, grassroots African American activists began challenging segregation through protests continuing into the 1960s (Aiken et al., 2013). The Population Registration Act of 1950 enacted, requiring segregation of Europeans from Afrikaans . The Sharpeville massacre was reported worldwide, and received with horror from every quarter. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. Pheko, M. (2000) Focus: 'Lest We Forget Sharpeville', The Sowetan, 20 March. Sharpeville was first built in 1943 to replace Topville, a nearby township that suffered overcrowding where illnesses like pneumonia were widespread. According to the police, protesters began to stone them and, without any warning, one of the policemen on the top of an armoured car panicked and opened fire. But attempts to transform this non-binding moral declaration into a binding legal code were immediately bogged down in cold war disputes. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. [7][8], On 21 March, 1960, a group of between 5,000 and 10,000 people converged on the local police station, offering themselves up for arrest for not carrying their passbooks. The Sharpeville massacre, the name given to the murder of 69 unarmed civilians by armed South African police, took place on 21 March 1960. 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. Initially the police commander refused but much later, approximately 11h00, they were let through; the chanting of freedom songs continued and the slogans were repeated with even greater volume. Tafelberg Publishers: Cape Town. "[18][19], Since 1994, 21 March has been commemorated as Human Rights Day in South Africa. The apartheid in South Africa which was in effect from 1948 until 1994 was not only a racist policy which greatly affected the quality of life of minorities in the country for the worse but was a outright crime against humanity. Following shortly, the Group Areas Act of 1950 was enacted as a new form of legislation alongside the Population Registration Act. Many others were not so lucky: 69 unarmed and non-violent protesters were gunned down by theSouth Africanpolice and hundreds more were injured. By lunchtime, the crowd outside the police station had grown to an estimated 20,000 people. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. 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. Unlike elsewhere on the East Rand where police used baton when charging at resisters, the police at Sharpeville used live ammunition. In my own research on international human rights law, I looked to complexity theory, a theory developed in the natural sciences to make sense of the ways that patterns of behaviour emerge and change, to understand the way that international human rights law had developed and evolved. The call for a stay away on 28 March was highly successful and was the first ever national strike in the countrys history. The commission completed this task, under the chairmanship of Eleanor Roosevelt, when it finalised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. The event also played a role in South Africa's departure from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1961. On the 60th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, the world should remember the contingency and fragility of the international human rights law system that we so easily take for granted today. [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. I hated what it did to people, As Israelis dedicated to peace, we oppose Trump's apartheid plan, UN human rights head in unprecedented action against Indian government, Anyone can become a climate refugee. Selinah was shot in her leg but survived the massacre. 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. During the shooting about 69 black people were killed. We must listen to them, learn from them, and work with them to build a better future.. In the following days 77 Africans, many of whom were still in hospital, were arrested for questioning . The police response to the protest became the primary cause of the massacre. 20072023 Blackpast.org. On 20 March Nana Mahomo and Peter Molotsi has crossed the border into Bechuanaland to mobilize support for the PAC. Everyone should have an equal rights and better community . Similarly, African American leaders from the fifties to the sixties also fought for the end of segregation, in cases such as Brown v. Board of Education. Stephen Wheatley explores how this tragedypaved the way for themodern United Nations, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Jennifer Davis: Exiled hero of South Africas anti-apartheid movement, Ralph Ziman: I hated apartheid. His protest was ignored, and the government turned a blind eye to the increasing protests from industrialists and leaders of commerce. When the demonstrators began to throw stones at the police, the police started shooting into the crowd. [6]:pp.14,528 From the 1960s, the pass laws were the primary instrument used by the state to detain and harass its political opponents. It was adopted on December 21 1965. 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.