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. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. An article entitled "PAC Campaign will be test," published in the 19 March 1960 issue of Contact,the Liberal Party newspaper, described the build up to the campaign: At a press conference held on Saturday 19th March 1960, PAC President Robert Sobukwe announced that the PAC was going to embark on an anti-pass campaign on Monday the 21st. The people were throwing their hats to the aeroplanes. The incident resulted in the largest number of South African deaths (up to that point) in a protest against apartheid . 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. It authorized the limited use of arms and sabotage against the government, which got the governments attentionand its anger! 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. The victims included about 50 women and children. [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. The march was also led by Clarence Makwetu, the Secretary of the PACs New Flats branch. [1], Victims were buried en masse in a ceremony performed by clergy. The police assembled and used disproportionate responses to the protest. A state of emergency was declared in South Africa, more than 11,000 people were detained, and the PAC and ANC were outlawed. It can be considered the beginning of the international struggle to bring an end to apartheid in South . We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. The University had tried to ban the protest; they handed out 12,000 leaflets saying the event was cancelled. On March 21, demonstrators disobeyed the pass laws by giving up or burning their pass books. Apartheid in South Africa. - GCSE Politics - Marked by Teachers.com The world should remember the contingency and fragility of the international human rights law system that we so easily take for granted today. 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 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. But it was not until after Sharpeville that the UN made clear that the countrys system of racial segregation would no longer be tolerated. Philip Finkie Molefe, responsible for establishing the first Assemblies of God church in the Vaal, was among the clergy that conducted the service.[11]. Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops. Participants were instructed to surrender their reference books (passes) and invite arrest. Without the Sharpeville massacre, we may not have the international human rights law system we have today. As the small crowd approached the station, most of the marchers, including Sobukwe, were arrested and charged with sedition. 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 took place in a south african police station of Sharpeville. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. 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. In March 1960, Robert Sobukwe, a leader in the anti-apartheid Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) organized the towns first anti-apartheid protest. 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. The mood of the protest had started out as peaceful and festive when there were . (1997) Focus: 'Prisoner 1', Sunday Life, 23 March. the Sharpeville Massacre 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]. BBC World Service - Witness History, The Sharpeville massacre The, For one, African American leaders in the 90s to the 20s attempted to end the disenfranchisement of African Americans, done through poll taxes and literacy tests, by advocating their cause in the more sympathetic North. In 1946, the UN established the Commission on Human Rights, whose first job was to draft a declaration on human rights. The Sharpsville Massacre was a seminal moment in the history of South Africa. The Sharpeville Massacre On the morning of March 21, 1960, several thousand residents of Sharpeville marched to the township's police station. 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. 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). Aftermath: Sharpeville Massacre 1960 | South African History Online 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. 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. 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. This translates as shot or shoot. A United Nations photograph by Kay Muldoon, Courtesy of the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa, SATIS (Southern Africa - the Imprisoned Society). "The blood we sacrificed was worth it" - Sharpeville Massacre OHCHRs regional representative Abigail Noko used the opportunity to call on all decision-makers to give youth a seat at the decision-making table. In Pretoria a small group of six people presented themselves at the Hercules police station. To read more about the protests in Cape Town. By 9 April the death toll had risen to 83 non-White civilians and three non-White police officers. What caused the massacre in Sharpeville? - KnowledgeBurrow.com 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. 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. Some were shot in the back as they fled.[1]. The Supreme Courts decision in the famous and landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 set a precedent for desegregation in schools. 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. Police were temporarily paralyzed with indecision. Stephen Wheatley is a professor of international law at Lancaster University. One of the insights was that international law does not change, unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. 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. Along the way small groups of people joined him. Britannica does not review the converted text. All the evidence points to the gathering being peaceful and good humoured. [5], The official figure is that 69 people were killed, including 8 women and 10 children, and 180 injured, including 31 women and 19 children. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. In March 1960, South African police shot dead 69 black protestors, sparking worldwide outrage . Sharpeville is a township near Vereeniging, in the Gauteng province of South Africa. After demonstrating against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000 protesters went to the police station. 351 Francis Baard Street,Metro Park Building ,10th Floor and [proved to be] the only antidote against foreign rule and modern imperialism (Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom 2008, 156) . Learn about employment opportunities across the UN in South Africa. The police also have said that the crowd was armed with 'ferocious weapons', which littered the compound after they fled. We need the voices of young people to break through the silence that locks in discrimination and oppression. 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. Sharpeville massacre marked turning point in South Africa's history They were mild campaigns at first, but as the government became more hostile, so did ANC protests. Police witnesses claimed that stones were thrown, and in a panicked and rash reaction, the officers opened fire on the crowd. Confrontation in the township of Sharpeville, Gauteng Province. Baileys African History. Both were tasked with mobilizing international financial and diplomatic support for sanctions against South Africa. At the annual conference of the African National Congress (ANC) held in Durban on 16 December 1959, the President General of the ANC, Chief Albert Luthuli, announced that 1960 was going to be the "Year of the Pass." The enforcement of Pass Laws and the reissue of laws that restricted the. Perseverance and determination are also needed to build on the lessons learnedfrom the Sharpeville tragedy and repair the injustices of the past. This movement sought to overcome the subjugation the racist South African government and apartheid laws imposed on Blacks. Updates? "[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]. A state of emergency was announced in South Africa. On 20 March Nana Mahomo and Peter Molotsi has crossed the border into Bechuanaland to mobilize support for the PAC. Other protests around the country on 21 March 1960. Selinah Mnguniwas 23 years old and already three months pregnant when she was injured in the Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960. The Black Consciousness Movement sparked mass protests among Blacks and prompted other liberation movements to demonstrate against the apartheid. 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). All that changed following the worlds moral outrage at the killings. 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. The Sharpeville Massacre occurred on March 21, 1960, in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa. 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. Sobukwe was only released in 1969. Early on that March morning, demonstrations against the pass laws, which restricted the rights of apartheid South Africas majority black population, had begun in Sharpeville, a township in Transvaal. The events also prompted theInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminationwhich took effect on 4 January 1969. Eventually a few of the demonstrators dared to cross the street, led by James Forman who had organized the march. 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. 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. To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar. 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. Massacre in Sharpeville - HISTORY In 1994, Mandela signed the nations first post-apartheid constitution near the site of the 1960 massacre. It was a system of segregation put in place by the National Party, which governed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. It was adopted on December 21 1965. Expert Answers. Furthermore, a new police station was created, from which the police were energetic to check passes, deporting illegal residents, and raiding illegal shebeens. But attempts to transform this non-binding moral declaration into a binding legal code were immediately bogged down in Cold War disputes. By lunchtime, the crowd outside the police station had grown to an estimated 20,000 people. Sharpeville Massacre. 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 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. Kgosana agreed to disperse the protestors in if a meeting with J B Vorster, then Minister of Justice, could be secured. The Sharpeville massacre was reported worldwide, and received with horror from every quarter. 20072023 Blackpast.org. March 21, is celebrated as a public holiday in honor of human rights and to commemorate the . Mr. Tsolo and other members of the PAC Branch Executive continued to advance - in conformity with the novel PAC motto of "Leaders in Front" - and asked the White policeman in command to let them through so that they could surrender themselves for refusing to carry passes. These two industries experienced rapid growth in the immediate aftermath of World War II and continued growing into the 1950s and 1960s. [13], A storm of international protest followed the Sharpeville shootings, including sympathetic demonstrations in many countries[14][15] and condemnation by the United Nations. The massacre was photographed by photographer Ian Berry, who initially thought the police were firing blanks. 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. "The aeroplanes were flying high and low. The event also played a role in South Africa's departure from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1961. Massacre in Sharpeville. 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. What were the consequences of the Sharpeville Massacre? 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 protesters responded by hurling stones (striking three policemen) and rushing the police barricades. Sharpeville massacre - Wikipedia 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. How the 1960 Sharpeville massacre sparked the birth of international 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. During those five months roughly 25,000 people were arrested throughout the nation. The officers asked the demonstrators to turn around; however, they did not budge. But change can also be prompted by seemingly minor events in global affairs, such as the Sharpeville massacre the so-called butterfly effect. On 21 March 1960, sixty-nine unarmed anti-pass protesters were shot dead by police and over 180 were injured. The laws said that blacks could not enter white areas unless they carried documents known as pass books. 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. That date now marks the International Day for the. 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. The protesters offered themselves up for arrest for not carrying their passes. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. 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. By continuing to use this site, you consent to the terms of our cookie policy, which can be found in our. These resolutions established two important principles: that the human rights provisions in the UN Charter created binding obligations for member states, and the UN could intervene directly in situations involving serious violations of human rights. Everyone should have an equal rights and better community . 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. The policemen were apparently jittery after a recent event in Durban where nine policemen were shot. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. March 21 is a public holiday in South Africa in commemoration of the Sharpeville massacre. How the Sharpeville massacre changed the course of human rights 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. 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. As the protesters tried to flee the violent scene, police continued to shoot into the crowd. The event has been seen by some as a turning point in South African history. Corrections? Furthermore, the history of the African civil rights movement validated: Nationalism has been tested in the peoples struggles . The Sharpeville Massacre, 1960 Police Attack Demonstrators in Sharpeville, March 21, 1960 Few events loom larger in the history of the apartheid regime than those of the afternoon of March 21, 1960, in Sharpeville, 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 . "[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. 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.