On March 21, an estimated 7,000 South Africans gathered in front of the Sharpeville police station to protest against the restrictive pass laws. 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. But in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, the UN adopted a more interventionist stance to the apartheid state. 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. By the 25 March, the Minister of Justice suspended passes throughout the country and Chief Albert Luthuli and Professor Z.K. Following shortly, the Group Areas Act of 1950 was enacted as a new form of legislation alongside the Population Registration Act. 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. 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. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. A posseman. 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. 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. 351 Francis Baard Street,Metro Park Building ,10th Floor Significant reshaping of international law is often the result of momentous occurrences, most notably the first and second world wars. The events also prompted theInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminationwhich took effect on 4 January 1969. A few days later, on 30 March 1960, Kgosana led a PAC march of between 30 000-50 000 protestors from Langa and Nyanga to the police headquarters in Caledon Square. Weve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. And then there are those who feel deeply involved and moved, but also powerless to deal with the enormity of the situation (Krog 221). But in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, the UN adopted a more interventionist stance towards the apartheid state. 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. But it was not until after Sharpeville that the UN made clear that the countrys system of racial segregation would no longer be tolerated. 1960 police killing of protesters in Transvaal (now Gauteng), South Africa. Knowing the democracy we have today was achieved in part because of the blood we sacrificed was worth it, she says. In 1946, the UN established the Commission on Human Rights, whose first job was to draft a declaration on human rights. It was a system of segregation put in place by the National Party, which governed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. 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. Approximately 10,000 Africans were forcibly removed to Sharpeville. News reports about the massacre spread across the world. Both were tasked with mobilizing international financial and diplomatic support for sanctions against South Africa. The event was an inspiration for painter Oliver Lee Jackson in his Sharpeville Series from the 1970s.[23]. Lined up outside was a large contingent of armed police with some atop armoured cars. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. This march is seen by many as a turning point in South African history. The movement in this period that revived the political opposition against the apartheid was the Black Consciousness Movement. In 1960, states had no binding international human rights obligations and there were no oversight mechanisms. 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. 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). All that changed following the worlds moral outrage at the killings. This movement sought to overcome the subjugation the racist South African government and apartheid laws imposed on Blacks. In 1960, states had no binding international human rights obligations with oversight mechanisms. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. The PAC and the African National Congress, another antiapartheid party, were banned. It's been 60 years since the Sharpeville massacre, when 69 unarmed civilians were killed by armed South African police on March 21 1960. Ingrid de Kok was a child living on a mining compound near Johannesburg where her father worked at the time of the Sharpeville massacre. This shows a major similarity as they wanted to achieve the same things. 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. Some were shot in the back as they fled.[1]. 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. However, the nations mentality needed work - though the popularity of Civil Rights was rising, many riots and racial hate crimes continued to occur throughout the country, with many casualties resulting from them (infoplease.com). NO FINE!" The poet Duncan Livingstone, a Scottish immigrant from the Isle of Mull who lived in Pretoria, wrote in response to the Massacre the Scottish Gaelic poem Bean Dubh a' Caoidh a Fir a Chaidh a Marbhadh leis a' Phoileas ("A Black Woman Mourns her Husband Killed by the Police"). Crowds fleeing from bullets on the day of the Massacre. It also came to symbolize that struggle. What event happened on March 21 1960? He was followed by Dr. Yusuf Dadoo, Chairperson of the South African Indian Congress and Chairperson of the underground South African Communist Party. South Africa had already been harshly criticised for its apartheid policies, and this incident fuelled anti-apartheid sentiments as the international conscience was deeply stirred. That date now marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and without the Sharpeville massacre, we may not have the international system of human rights that we have today. Others were throwing rocks and shouting "Pigs off campus. 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). Black citizens began to resist this prejudice though and also used violence against the enforcers of Apartheid. Other witnesses claimed there was no order to open fire, and the police did not fire a warning shot above the crowd. The Apartheid was initiated as a ploy for Europeans to better control the exploited populations for economic gain, as maintaining tension between the different racial classifications diverted attention from the Europeans as it fed hatred between groups. In the Black township of Sharpeville, near Johannesburg, South Africa, Afrikaner police open fire on a group of unarmed Black South African demonstrators, killing 69 people and wounding 180 in a hail of submachine-gun fire. 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. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. When it seemed the whole group would cross, police took action, with mounted officers and volunteers arriving at 1:12 pm. In March 1960, South African police shot dead 69 black protestors, sparking worldwide outrage . The South African government began arresting more nonconformists and banning resistance organizations, such as the African National Congress and the Pan African Congress. What happened on 21 March in Sharpeville? A United Nations photograph by Kay Muldoon, Courtesy of the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa, SATIS (Southern Africa - the Imprisoned Society). Robert Sobukwe and other leaders were arrested and detained after the Sharpeville massacre, some for nearly three years after the incident. Matthews called on all South Africans to mark a national day of mourning for the victims on the 28 March. 26 Black policemen and 365 Black civilians were injured no White police men were killed and only 60 were injured. As segregation and civil rights become national topics, their. 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. 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. Business Studies. Police witnesses claimed that stones were thrown, and in a panicked and rash reaction, the officers opened fire on the crowd. The quest for international support, mass mobilization, armed operations, and underground organization became the basis for the ANCs Four Pillars of Struggle. 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. However, the governments method of controlling people who resisted the apartheid laws didnt have the same effect from the early 1970s and onward. The same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The police ordered the crowd to disperse within 3 minutes. In my own research, I have 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 developed and evolved. The protesters responded by hurling stones (striking three policemen) and rushing the police barricades. On March 21, demonstrators disobeyed the pass laws by giving up or burning their pass books. However, Foreign Consulates were flooded with requests for emigration, and fearful White South Africans armed themselves. 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 . 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. 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 logjam was only broken after the Sharpeville massacre, as the UN decided to deal with the problem of apartheid South Africa. the Sharpeville Massacre 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. 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. The central issues stem from 50 years of apartheid include poverty, income inequality, land ownership rates and many other long term affects that still plague the brunt of the South African population while the small white minority still enjoy much of the wealth, most of the land and opportunities, Oppression is at the root of many of the most serious, enduring conflicts in the world today. This affirmed that the elimination of racial discrimination was a global challenge that affronted the respect and dignity of all human beings. 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. The Sharpeville Massacre occurred on March 21, 1960, in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa. 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. 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. Mandela and was given a life sentence in prison for treason against the South African government in 1964. 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. Furthermore, a new police station was created, from which the police were energetic to check passes, deporting illegal residents, and raiding illegal shebeens. The world should remember the contingency and fragility of the international human rights law system that we so easily take for granted today. Lancaster University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. 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. 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. However, the police simply took down the protesters names and did not arrest anyone. This article first appeared on The Conversation, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. This abuse towards people of colour in South Africa made people around the world want to protest against South Africa's government. The Afrikaner poet Ingrid Jonker mentioned the Sharpeville Massacre in her verse. This shows a significant similarity in that both time periods leaders attempted to achieve the goal of ending. People often associate their behavior and actions from the groups they belong to. Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. [16], The Sharpeville massacre contributed to the banning of the PAC and ANC as illegal organisations. Corrections? The victims included about 50 women and children. This, said Mr Subukwe, would cause prisons to become overcrowded, labour to dry up and the economy to grind to a halt. 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. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. 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. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Although blood was not shed on Krogs hands directly, she took on the shame of her race. On 21 March 1960, the police opened fire on a group of demonstrators who had gathered peacefully outside Sharpeville police station in response to a nationwide call by the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) to protest against the hated pass system; 67 people died and hundreds more were wounded. Participants were instructed to surrender their reference books (passes) and invite arrest. 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. 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). Mandela went into hiding in 1964, he was captured, tried, and sentenced to life imprisonment. The event also played a role in South Africa's departure from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1961. [21], In 1998, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) found that the police actions constituted "gross human rights violations in that excessive force was unnecessarily used to stop a gathering of unarmed people. Our work on the Sustainable Development Goals. 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. Police arrested more than 11,000 people and kept them in jail. [6]:p.163, The African National Congress (ANC) prepared to initiate a campaign of protests against pass laws. 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. The PAC argued that if thousands of people were arrested, then the jails would be filled and the economy would come to a standstill. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. On this 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. Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. The OHCHR Regional Office for Southern Africa also produced a series of digital stories on the Sharpeville massacre and young peoples concerns about their human rights. The University had tried to ban the protest; they handed out 12,000 leaflets saying the event was cancelled. Everyone should have an equal rights and better community . In 1946, the UN established the Commission on Human Rights, whose first job was to draft a declaration on human rights. One of the insights was that international law does not change, unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. This detailed act separated tribes based on ethnics; consequently, further detailing segregation amongst the natives . 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 ). The Population Registration Act of 1950 enacted, requiring segregation of Europeans from Afrikaans . At this conference, it was announced that the PAC would launch its own anti-pass campaign. 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. On March 21st, 1960, the Pan Africanists Congress, an anti-Apartheid splinter organization formed in 1959, organized a protest to the National Partys pass laws which required all citizens, as well as native Africans, to carry identification papers on them at all times. March 16 saw a demonstration in Montgomery, Alabama in which 580 demonstrators planned to march from the Jackson Street Baptist Church to the Montgomery County Courthouse (Reed 26). In response, a police officer shouted in Afrikaans skiet or nskiet (exactly which is not clear), which translates either as shot or shoot. Only the four Native Representatives and members of the new Progressive Party voted against the Bill. 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. Furthermore, the history of the African civil rights movement validated: Nationalism has been tested in the peoples struggles . 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). "[6]:p.538, The uproar among South Africa's black population was immediate, and the following week saw demonstrations, protest marches, strikes, and riots around the country. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). On March 21, 1960. "[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]. In the 1960s, many of the colonial nations of Africa were gaining independence. 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". But even still, southern activists worked to defend the practice of segregation. By lunchtime, the crowd outside the police station had grown to an estimated 20,000 people. But change can also be prompted by seemingly minor events in global affairs, such as the Sharpeville massacre the so-called butterfly effect. 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. 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. Baileys African History. [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.
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