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A state of emergency was declared in South Africa, more than 11,000 people were detained, and the PAC and ANC were outlawed. The Sharpeville Massacre is commemorated through Human Rights Day, a public holiday in South Africa, which honours those whose lives were sacrificed in the fight for democracy. There was no evidence that anyone in the gathering was armed with anything other than stones. This angered the officers causing them to brutally attack and tear gas the demonstrators. In Pretoria a small group of six people presented themselves at the Hercules police station. 351 Francis Baard Street,Metro Park Building ,10th Floor "[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]. Stephen Wheatley is a professor of international law at Lancaster University. Crowds fleeing from bullets on the day of the Massacre. It can be considered the beginning of the international struggle to bring an end to apartheid in South . Black citizens began to resist this prejudice though and also used violence against the enforcers of Apartheid. In response, a police officer shouted in Afrikaans skiet or nskiet (exactly which is not clear). Many of the civilians present attended voluntarily to support the protest, but there is evidence that the PAC also used coercive means to draw the crowd there, including the cutting of telephone lines into Sharpeville, and preventing bus drivers from driving their routes. Race, ethnicity and political groups, is an example of this. Sixty-nine Africans were killed and 186 were wounded, with most shot in the back. This movement sought to overcome the subjugation the racist South African government and apartheid laws imposed on Blacks. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. The protesters offered themselves up for arrest for not carrying their passes. Sobukwe subsequently announced that: On the morning of 21 March, PAC members walked around Sharpeville waking people up and urging them to take part in the demonstration. This caused many other countries to criticize South Africas apartheid policy. One way of accomplishing this was by instilling laws thatd force segregation, classification, educational requirements, and economic purposes. 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. It was a system of segregation put in place by the National Party, which governed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. These two industries experienced rapid growth in the immediate aftermath of World War II and continued growing into the 1950s and 1960s. However, Foreign Consulates were flooded with requests for emigration, and fearful White South Africans armed themselves. 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). 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. 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. The police were armed with firearms, including Sten submachine guns and LeeEnfield rifles. Only the four Native Representatives and members of the new Progressive Party voted against the Bill. 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. These laws restricted blacks movements within the country. By lunchtime, the crowd outside the police station had grown to an estimated 20,000 people. 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. Some were shot in the back as they fled.[1]. The South African Police (SAP) opened fire on the crowd when the crowd started advancing toward the fence around the police station; tear-gas had proved ineffectual. 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. But even still, southern activists worked to defend the practice of segregation. 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. Our work on the Sustainable Development Goals. [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. By 9 April the death toll had risen to 83 non-White civilians and three non-White police officers. People often associate their behavior and actions from the groups they belong to. 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. On the morning of 21 March Robert Sobukwe left his house in Mofolo, a suburb of Soweto, and began walking to the Orlando police station. After apartheid ended, President Nelson Mandela chose Sharpeville as the place to sign South Africas new constitution on December 10, 1996. 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. 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. This, said Mr Subukwe, would cause prisons to become overcrowded, labour to dry up and the economy to grind to a halt. Dr. Verwoerd praised the police for their actions. Under this system there was an extended period of gruesome violence against individuals of colored skin in South Africa. [6]:p.534, By 10:00, a large crowd had gathered, and the atmosphere was initially peaceful and festive. Without the Sharpeville massacre, we may not have the international human rights law system we have today. Amid confusion, two shots were fired into the air by somebody in the crowd. 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. Pretoria, South Africa, The blood we sacrificed was worth it - Sharpeville Massacre, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Welcome to the United Nations country team website of South Africa. 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. [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. 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. Across the street came 40 or so students who planned on joining the group en route to the Courthouse. But in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, the UN adopted a more interventionist stance to the apartheid state. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. It also came to symbolize that struggle. And then there are those who feel deeply involved and moved, but also powerless to deal with the enormity of the situation (Krog 221). What happened on 21 March in Sharpeville? When police opened . 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). The commission completed this task, under the chairmanship of Eleanor Roosevelt, when it finalised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Kgosana agreed to disperse the protestors in if a meeting with J B Vorster, then Minister of Justice, could be secured. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards. One of the insights was that international law does not change, unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. These protestors included a large number of northern college students. 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. On March 30, the South African government declared a state of emergency which made any protest illegal. 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. 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. [1], Victims were buried en masse in a ceremony performed by clergy. the Sharpeville Massacre Due to the illness, removals from Topville began in 1958. A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar. 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). Now aged 84, Selinah says she is still proud of her efforts to end apartheid. On the same day, the government responded by declaring a state of emergency and banning all public meetings. After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. African Americans demonstrated their frustration with lack of progress on the issue through non-violent means and campaigns led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (Bourne, In a march against segregation and barriers for African-American voting rights, peaceful marchers were exposed to harsh treatment by the police, 50 being hospitalized by the terrorism inflicted on them (civilrights.org). The ban remained in effect until August 31, 1960. The events also prompted theInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminationwhich took effect on 4 January 1969. Furthermore, during the nineties to the twenties, leaders of African Americans sought to end segregation in the South, as caused by Plessy v. Ferguson. and [proved to be] the only antidote against foreign rule and modern imperialism (Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom 2008, 156) . 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. Witness History. By the 25 March, the Minister of Justice suspended passes throughout the country and Chief Albert Luthuli and Professor Z.K. 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. [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. 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. . March 21, is celebrated as a public holiday in honor of human rights and to commemorate the . His protest was ignored, and the government turned a blind eye to the increasing protests from industrialists and leaders of commerce. [17], Not all reactions were negative: embroiled in its opposition to the Civil Rights Movement, the Mississippi House of Representatives voted a resolution supporting the South African government "for its steadfast policy of segregation and the [staunch] adherence to their traditions in the face of overwhelming external agitation. Dr. Verwoerd praised the police for their actions. Furthermore, the history of the African civil rights movement validated: Nationalism has been tested in the peoples struggles . All that changed following the worlds moral outrage at the killings. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In the late 1980s, one of the most popular anti-apartheid movements that contributed to the end of the apartheid was the Free Mandela campaign. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. 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 PAC argued that if thousands of people were arrested, then the jails would be filled and the economy would come to a standstill. 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. Under the country's National Party government, African residents in urban districts were subject to influx control measures. 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. Many people set out for work on bicycles or on foot, but some were intimidated by PAC members who threatened to burn their passes or "lay hands on them"if they went to work (Reverend Ambrose Reeves, 1966). This assisted in minimizing unity between the exploited to rally against European control as it backhandedly induced submission for survival. The massacre was photographed by photographer Ian Berry, who initially thought the police were firing blanks. Some 20,000 Blacks gathered near a police station at Sharpeville, located about 30 miles (50 km) south of Johannesburg. Other PAC members tried to stop bus drivers from going on duty and this resulted in a lack transport for Sharpeville residents who worked in Vereeniging. Unfortunately, police forces arrived and open fired on the protesters, killing ninety-six in what became known as the Sharpeville massacre. Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the day that changed the course of South African history. 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. I will argue that the massacre created a major short-term crisis for the apartheid state, a crisis which appeared to Sixty-nine protesters died, and the massacre became an iconic moment in the struggle against apartheid. But in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, the UN adopted a more interventionist stance towards the apartheid state. 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. Unlike elsewhere on the East Rand where police used baton when charging at resisters, the police at Sharpeville used live ammunition. 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." Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? As the campaign went on, the apartheid government started imposing strict punishments on people who violated the segregationist laws. The PAC and the African National Congress, another antiapartheid party, were banned. 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. In response, a police officer shouted in Afrikaans skiet or nskiet (exactly which is not clear), which translates either as shot or shoot. The 1960 Sharpeville Massacre was the result of a peaceful protest regarding racist South African policies of apartheid. Furthermore, a new police station was created, from which the police were energetic to check passes, deporting illegal residents, and raiding illegal shebeens. Matthews called on all South Africans to mark a national day of mourning for the victims on the 28 March. 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. 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). That day about 20,000 people gathered near the Sharpeville police station. Eyewitness accounts attest to the fact that the people were given no warning to disperse. The Sharpeville massacre sparked hundreds of mass protests by black South Africans, many of which were ruthlessly and violently crushed by the South African police and military. A deranged White man, David Pratt, made an assassination attempt on Dr. Verwoerd, who was seriously injured. 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. He was tricked into dispersing the crowd and was arrested by the police later that day. Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. 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. 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. 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. It also came to symbolize that struggle. The enforcement of Pass Laws and the reissue of laws that restricted the. 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. Nearly 300 police officers arrived to put an end to the peaceful protest. Sharpeville had a high rate of unemployment as well as high crime rates. 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). NO FINE!" 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. The Population Registration Act of 1950 enacted, requiring segregation of Europeans from Afrikaans . BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. On 1 April 1960, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 134. 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. 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. Steven Wheatley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Courtesy BaileySeippel Gallery/BAHA Source. The officers asked the demonstrators to turn around; however, they did not budge. 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. 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. Other witnesses claimed there was no order to open fire, and the police did not fire a warning shot above the crowd. Professor of International Law, Lancaster University. 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. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. [10] At about 13:00 the police tried to arrest a protester, and the crowd surged forward. Riding into the small group of protestors, they forced most to withdraw, but a few stood fast around a utility pole where horsemen began to beat them. Over five thousand individuals came to protest the cause in Sharpeville. The South African governments repressive measures in response to the Sharpeville Massacre, however, intensified and expended the opposition to apartheid, ushering in three decades of resistance and protest in the country and increasing condemnation by world leaders. Do you find this information helpful? Following the Brown decision, grassroots African American activists began challenging segregation through protests continuing into the 1960s (Aiken et al., 2013). Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The Sharpeville Massacre occurred on March 21, 1960, in the township of Sharpeville, 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. Individuals over sixteen were required to carry passbooks, which contained an identity card, employment and influx authorisation from a labour bureau, name of employer and address, and details of personal history. [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. In 1946, the UN established the Commission on Human Rights, whose first job was to draft a declaration on human rights. Although the protests were anticipated, no one could have predicted the consequences and the repercussions this would have for South African and world politics. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Sharpeville is a township near Vereeniging, in the Gauteng province of South Africa.