The ANC was encouraged and campaigned for democracy in South Africa. The people of South Africa struggle day by day to reverse the most cruel, yet well-crafted, horrific tactic of social engineering. The concept behind apartheid emerged in 1948 when the nationalist party took over government, and the all-white government enforced racial segregation under a system of legislation . Robert Sobukwe and other leaders were arrested and detained after the Sharpeville massacre, some for nearly three years after the incident. 20072023 Blackpast.org. A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar. Police were temporarily paralyzed with indecision. Significant reshaping of international law is often the result of momentous occurrences, most notably the two world wars. The event also played a role in South Africa's departure from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1961. 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 ). 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. 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. Reports of the incident helped focus international criticism on South Africas apartheid policy. Even so and estimated 2000 to 3000 people gathered on the Commons. And then there are those who feel deeply involved and moved, but also powerless to deal with the enormity of the situation (Krog 221). Crowds fleeing from bullets on the day of the Massacre. We must listen to them, learn from them, and work with them to build a better future.. 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 . The South African government began arresting more nonconformists and banning resistance organizations, such as the African National Congress and the Pan African Congress. This shows a significant similarity in that both time periods leaders attempted to achieve the goal of ending. It had wide ramifications and a significant impact. The police also have said that the crowd was armed with 'ferocious weapons', which littered the compound after they fled. NO FINE!" But even still, southern activists worked to defend the practice of segregation. 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. Along with other PAC leaders he was charged with incitement, but while on bail he left the country and went into exile. His colleagues followed suit and opened fire. This year, UN and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) joined South Africans in commemorating the 61st anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, using the flagship campaign #FightRacism to promote awareness of these critical issues. Due to the illness, removals from Topville began in 1958. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. Sixty-nine protesters died, and the massacre became an iconic moment in the struggle against apartheid. Black citizens began to resist this prejudice though and also used violence against the enforcers of Apartheid. These protests were to begin on 31 March 1960, but the rival Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), led by Robert Sobukwe, decided to pre-empt the ANC by launching its own campaign ten days earlier, on 21 March, because they believed that the ANC could not win the campaign. But in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, the UN adopted a more interventionist stance to the apartheid state. Both were tasked with mobilizing international financial and diplomatic support for sanctions against South Africa. Significant reshaping of international law is often the result of momentous occurrences, most notably the first and second world wars. 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. One way of accomplishing this was by instilling laws thatd force segregation, classification, educational requirements, and economic purposes. "[18][19], Since 1994, 21 March has been commemorated as Human Rights Day in South Africa. I will argue that the massacre created a major short-term crisis for the apartheid state, a crisis which appeared to Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. March 21 is a public holiday in South Africa in commemoration of the Sharpeville massacre. 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. 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. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. This day is now commemorated annually in South Africa as a public . The victims included about 50 women and children. Reddy. It can be considered the beginning of the international struggle to bring an end to apartheid in South . In March 1960 the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), an antiapartheid party, organized nationwide protests against South Africas pass laws. 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. The Sharpeville Massacre awakened the international community to the horrors of apartheid. Often times individuals feel proud to be a member of their group and it becomes an important part of how they view themselves and their identity. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. A state of emergency was announced in South Africa. "The aeroplanes were flying high and low. Baileys African History Archive (BAHA)Crowds fleeing from bullets on the day of the Massacre. ISCOR and SASOL, the state's metal and fuel companies, were and continue to be the two key role players in the provision of employment in the Sharpeville region. The incident resulted in the largest number of South African deaths (up to that point) in a protest against apartheid. After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. Although this event in itself acted as a turning point in the struggle of black South Africans towards restoring dignity, but there were certain events which happened before Sharpeville massacre that caused widespread frustration and resentment in the black African community. When the demonstrators began to throw stones at the police, the police started shooting into the crowd. 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. [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. Many people need to know that indiviual have their own rights in laws and freedom . The massacre was photographed by photographer Ian Berry, who initially thought the police were firing blanks. By continuing to use this site, you consent to the terms of our cookie policy, which can be found in our. 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. The Department of Home Affairs (a government bureau) was responsible for the classification of the citizenry. 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. Copyright 2023 United Nations in South Africa, Caption: Selinah Mnguni, a Sharpeville massacre survivor, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. When protesters reconvened in defiance, the police charged at them with batons, tear gas and guns. Philip Finkie Molefe, responsible for establishing the first Assemblies of God church in the Vaal, was among the clergy that conducted the service.[11]. A United Nations photograph by Kay Muldoon, Courtesy of the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa, SATIS (Southern Africa - the Imprisoned Society). Sobukwe was only released in 1969. It authorized the limited use of arms and sabotage against the government, which got the governments attentionand its anger! Now aged 84, Selinah says she is still proud of her efforts to end apartheid. 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. T he Sharpeville massacre, the name given to the murder of 69 unarmed civilians by armed South African police, took place on 21 March 1960. On March 21, 1960, without warning, South African police at Sharpeville, an African township of Vereeninging, south of Johannesburg, shot into a crowd of about 5,000 unarmed anti-pass protesters, killing at least 69 people - many of them shot in the back - and wounding . It was a system of segregation put in place by the National Party, which governed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. The two causes went hand in hand in this, rocketing in support and becoming the main goal of the country - the end of segregation was the most dire problem that the Civil Rights Movement needed to solve. One of the insights was that international law does not change, unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. Corrections? 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. Participants were instructed to surrender their reference books (passes) and invite arrest. 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). Professor of International Law, Lancaster University. It also came to symbolize that struggle. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. . a photographer whose pictures of the killings caused an . Police witnesses claimed that stones were thrown, and in a panicked and rash reaction, the officers opened fire on the crowd. Approximately 10,000 Africans were forcibly removed to Sharpeville. The subject of racial discrimination in South Africa was raised at the UN General Assembly in its first session, in 1946, in the form of a complaint by India concerning the treatment of Indians in the country. The foundation of Poqo, the military wing of the PAC, and Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC, followed shortly afterwards. 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. "[6]:p.537, On 21 March 2002, the 42nd anniversary of the massacre, a memorial was opened by former President Nelson Mandela as part of the Sharpeville Human Rights Precinct.[22]. Furthermore, a new police station was created, from which the police were energetic to check passes, deporting illegal residents, and raiding illegal shebeens. On 20 March Nana Mahomo and Peter Molotsi has crossed the border into Bechuanaland to mobilize support for the PAC. 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. Find out more about our work towards the Sustainable Development Goals. 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. Other witnesses claimed there was no order to open fire, and the police did not fire a warning shot above the crowd. The protesters responded by hurling stones (striking three policemen) and rushing the police barricades. The massacre also sparked hundreds of mass protests by black South Africans, many of which were ruthlessly and violently crushed by the South African police and military. The Sharpeville massacre. Omissions? Both organisations were deemed a serious threat to the safety of the public and the vote stood at 128 to 16 in favour of the banning. In the following days 77 Africans, many of whom were still in hospital, were arrested for questioning . Following the Sharpeville massacre, as it came to be known, the death toll rose to 69 and the number of injuries to 180. Its similar to an article in south africa that people have with racial segregation between black and white . All blacks were required to carry ``pass books ' ' containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black areas. Kgosana agreed to disperse the protestors in if a meeting with J B Vorster, then Minister of Justice, could be secured. 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. Following the Brown decision, grassroots African American activists began challenging segregation through protests continuing into the 1960s (Aiken et al., 2013). At its inaugural session in 1947, the UN Commission on Human Rights had decided that it had no power to take any action in regard to any complaints concerning human rights. Britannica does not review the converted text. 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. By the end of the day, 69 people lay dead or dying, with hundreds more injured. That impact is best broken down into its short-term, medium-term, and long-term significance. 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. This riot was planned to be a peaceful riot for a strike on an 8-hour day, ended up turning into a battle between protesters and the police. 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. Tear gas was again fired into the crowd but because of wind the gas had little effect on dispersing the students, some of the protesters picked up the tear gas canisters and threw them back at the Guard. However, the police simply took down the protesters names and did not arrest anyone. Other protests around the country on 21 March 1960. [10], PAC actively organized to increase turnout to the demonstration, distributing pamphlets and appearing in person to urge people not to go to work on the day of the protest. Our work on the Sustainable Development Goals. The policemen were apparently jittery after a recent event in Durban where nine policemen were shot. In addition other small groups of PAC activists presented themselves at police stations in Durban and East London. OHCHRs regional representative Abigail Noko used the opportunity to call on all decision-makers to give youth a seat at the decision-making table. 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. The police ordered the crowd to disperse within 3 minutes. The police and army arrested thousands of Africans, who were imprisoned with their leaders, but still the mass action raged. Lancaster University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. During the Eisenhower administration, Congress passed two measures that proved to be ineffective: the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Act of 1960. According to his "Testimony about the Launch of the Campaign," Sobukwe declared: At the press conference Sobukwe emphasized that the campaign should be conducted in a spirit of absolute non-violence and that the PAC saw it as the first step in Black people's bid for total independence and freedom by 1963 (Cape Times, 1960). The Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), a splinter group of the African National Congress (ANC) created in 1959, organized a countrywide demonstration for March 21, 1960, for the abolition of South Africas pass laws. Sharpeville is a township near Vereeniging, in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Ingrid de Kok was a child living on a mining compound near Johannesburg where her father worked at the time of the Sharpeville massacre. After apartheid ended, President Nelson Mandela chose Sharpeville as the place to sign South Africas new constitution on December 10, 1996. Attending a protest in peaceful defiance of the apartheid regime, Selinah and many other young people were demonstrating against pass laws designed to restrict and control the movement and employment of millions of Black South Africans. 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. 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. 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. In March 1960, South African police shot dead 69 black protestors, sparking worldwide outrage . This abuse towards people of colour in South Africa made people around the world want to protest against South Africa's government. In March 1960, Robert Sobukwe, a leader in the anti-apartheid Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) organized the towns first anti-apartheid protest. The ban remained in effect until August 31, 1960. All Rights Reserved. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. 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. [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. 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. the Sharpeville Massacre Stephen Wheatley is a professor of international law at Lancaster University. Pogrund,B. This caused many other countries to criticize South Africas apartheid policy. Many others were not so lucky: 69 unarmed and non-violent protesters were gunned down by theSouth Africanpolice and hundreds more were injured. [12], Many White South Africans were also horrified by the massacre. Massacre in Sharpeville. Plaatjie, T. (1998) Focus: 'Sharpeville Heroes Neglected', The Sowetan, 20 March.|Reverend Ambrose Reeves (1966). [13], A storm of international protest followed the Sharpeville shootings, including sympathetic demonstrations in many countries[14][15] and condemnation by the United Nations. As the campaign went on, the apartheid government started imposing strict punishments on people who violated the segregationist laws. Under this system there was an extended period of gruesome violence against individuals of colored skin in South Africa. Without the Sharpeville massacre, we may not have the international human rights law system we have today. and [proved to be] the only antidote against foreign rule and modern imperialism (Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom 2008, 156) . 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. Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. Expert Answers. UNESCO marks 21 March as the yearly International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in memory of the massacre. This was in direct defiance of the government's country-wide ban on public meetings and gatherings of more than ten persons. Time Magazine, (1960), The Sharpeville Massacre, A short history of pass laws in South Africa [online], from, Giliomee et al. Although blood was not shed on Krogs hands directly, she took on the shame of her race. 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. The ratification of these laws may have made the separate but equal rhetoric illegal for the U.S. but the citizens inside it still battled for their beliefs. . Nelson Mandela was a member of the banned African National Congress and led an underground armed movement that opposed the apartheid by attacking government buildings in South Africa during the early 1960s. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. After demonstrating against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000 protesters went to the police station. 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. With the election of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa in 1994, the apartheid system ended. The enforcement of Pass Laws and the reissue of laws that restricted the. Some estimates put the size of the crowd at 20,000. The event has been seen by some as a turning point in South African history. The events also prompted theInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminationwhich took effect on 4 January 1969. In November 1961, a military branch of the party was organized with Mandela as its head. News reports about the massacre spread across the world. Following shortly, the Group Areas Act of 1950 was enacted as a new form of legislation alongside the Population Registration Act. About 69 Blacks were killed and more than 180 wounded, some 50 women and children being among the victims. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. But it was not until after Sharpeville that the UN made clear that the countrys system of racial segregation would no longer be tolerated. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Weve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. Freedom Now Suite includes the composition Tears for Johannesburg in response to the massacre. The story of March 21 1960 is told by Tom Lodge, a scholar of South African politics, in his book Sharpeville. On March 21, demonstrators disobeyed the pass laws by giving up or burning their pass books. The march leaders were detained, but released on the same day with threats from the commanding officer of Caledon Square, Terry Tereblanche, that once the tense political situation improved people would be forced to carry passes again in Cape Town. He was tricked into dispersing the crowd and was arrested by the police later that day. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Some of them had been on duty for over twenty-four hours without respite. Only the four Native Representatives and members of the new Progressive Party voted against the Bill. The ANC and PAC were forced underground, and both parties launched military wings of their organisations in 1961. The significance of the date is reflected in the fact that. The quest for international support, mass mobilization, armed operations, and underground organization became the basis for the ANCs Four Pillars of Struggle. This translates as shot or shoot. When it seemed the whole group would cross, police took action, with mounted officers and volunteers arriving at 1:12 pm. 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. The Minister of Justice called for calm and the Minister of Finance encouraged immigration. The ANC Vice-President, Oliver Tambo, was secretly driven across the border by Ronel Segal into the then British controlled territory of Bechunaland. However, Foreign Consulates were flooded with requests for emigration, and fearful White South Africans armed themselves. The police were armed with firearms, including Sten submachine guns and LeeEnfield rifles. The incident resulted in the largest number of South African deaths (up to that point) in a protest against apartheid . The Sharpsville Massacre was a seminal moment in the history of South Africa. [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.
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