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. A state of emergency was announced in South Africa. These laws restricted blacks movements within the country. The events also prompted theInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminationwhich took effect on 4 January 1969. [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. Let's Take Action Towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Under this system there was an extended period of gruesome violence against individuals of colored skin in South Africa. [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. 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. March 21 Massacre in Sharpeville In the Black township of Sharpeville, near Johannesburg, South Africa, Afrikaner police open fire on a group of unarmed Black South African demonstrators,. Selinah was shot in her leg but survived the massacre. On that day, demonstrations against the pass laws, which restricted the rights of the majority black population in apartheid South Africa, began in the early morning in Sharpeville, a township in Transvaal. This assisted in minimizing unity between the exploited to rally against European control as it backhandedly induced submission for survival. Massacre in Sharpeville - HISTORY 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. When protesters reconvened in defiance, the police charged at them with batons, tear gas and guns. 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). and [proved to be] the only antidote against foreign rule and modern imperialism (Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom 2008, 156) . 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. 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. 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. As the small crowd approached the station, most of the marchers, including Sobukwe, were arrested and charged with sedition. Along with other PAC leaders he was charged with incitement, but while on bail he left the country and went into exile. 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. This affirmed that the elimination of racial discrimination was a global challenge that affronted the respect and dignity of all human beings. PDF "A tragic turning-point: remembering Sharpeville fifty years on" The march was also led by Clarence Makwetu, the Secretary of the PACs New Flats branch. UNESCO marks 21 March as the yearly International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in memory of the massacre. "[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. What event happened on March 21 1960? This caused many other countries to criticize South Africas apartheid policy. The Department of Home Affairs (a government bureau) was responsible for the classification of the citizenry. The police assembled and used disproportionate responses to the protest. 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 ). All the evidence points to the gathering being peaceful and good humoured. The campaign slogan was "NO BAIL! 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. As an act of rebellion the passes were set alight, as seen in a picture by Ranjith Kally. [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. Fewer than 20 police officers were present in the station at the start of the protest. Crowds fleeing from bullets on the day of the Massacre. On 1 April 1960, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 134. Robert Sobukwe and other leaders were arrested and detained after the Sharpeville massacre, some for nearly three years after the incident. [3], South African governments since the eighteenth century had enacted measures to restrict the flow of African South Africans into cities. Krog was one of these Afrikaners. 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. 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. In Pretoria a small group of six people presented themselves at the Hercules police station. [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. Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops. However, the police simply took down the protesters names and did not arrest anyone. 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. One of the insights was that international law does not change, unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. The world should remember the contingency and fragility of the international human rights law system that we so easily take for granted today. Eyewitness accounts attest to the fact that the people were given no warning to disperse. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. All the evidence points to the gathering being peaceful and good-humoured. 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. Black citizens began to resist this prejudice though and also used violence against the enforcers of Apartheid. Other protests around the country on 21 March 1960. Time Magazine, (1960), The Sharpeville Massacre, A short history of pass laws in South Africa [online], from, Giliomee et al. 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. During the shooting about 69 black people were killed. Sharpeville is a township near Vereeniging, in the Gauteng province of South Africa . 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. 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. 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. This angered the officers causing them to brutally attack and tear gas the demonstrators. By 9 April the death toll had risen to 83 non-White civilians and three non-White police officers. 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. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. "[1] He also denied giving any order to fire and stated that he would not have done so. This day is now commemorated annually in South Africa as a public . Massacre in Sharpeville. 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. "[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]. News reports about the massacre spread across the world. The laws said that blacks could not enter white areas unless they carried documents known as pass books. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Courtesy BaileySeippel Gallery/BAHA Source. 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). Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. Sharpeville massacre | Summary, Significance, & Facts OHCHRs regional representative Abigail Noko used the opportunity to call on all decision-makers to give youth a seat at the decision-making table. Mandela and was given a life sentence in prison for treason against the South African government in 1964. The South African government began arresting more nonconformists and banning resistance organizations, such as the African National Congress and the Pan African Congress. 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. Its similar to an article in south africa that people have with racial segregation between black and white . 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. The police were armed with firearms, including Sten submachine guns and LeeEnfield rifles. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. March 21 is a public holiday in South Africa in commemoration of the Sharpeville massacre. In addition other small groups of PAC activists presented themselves at police stations in Durban and East London. Tafelberg Publishers: Cape Town. It can be considered the beginning of the international struggle to bring an end to apartheid in South . Ingrid de Kok was a child living on a mining compound near Johannesburg where her father worked at the time of the Sharpeville massacre. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. The term human rights was first used in the UN Charter in 1945. As the campaign went on, the apartheid government started imposing strict punishments on people who violated the segregationist laws. The police and army arrested thousands of Africans, who were imprisoned with their leaders, but still the mass action raged. The presence of armoured vehicles and air force fighter jets overhead also pointed to unnecessary provocation, especially as the crowd was unarmed and determined to stage a non-violent protest. The protesters responded by hurling stones (striking three policemen) and rushing the police barricades. Along the way small groups of people joined him. Business Studies. But change can also be prompted by seemingly minor events in global affairs, such as the Sharpeville massacre the so-called butterfly effect. With the election of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa in 1994, the apartheid system ended. All that changed following the worlds moral outrage at the killings. 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. Robert Sobukwe and other leaders were arrested and detained after the Sharpeville massacre, some for nearly three years after the incident. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}264118S 275219E / 26.68833S 27.87194E / -26.68833; 27.87194. 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. The ban remained in effect until August 31, 1960. Many people need to know that indiviual have their own rights in laws and freedom . The Sharpeville massacre sparked hundreds of mass protests by black South Africans. 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. By the end of the day, 69 people lay dead or dying, with hundreds more injured. Aftermath: Sharpeville Massacre 1960 | South African History Online 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. Confrontation in the township of Sharpeville, Gauteng Province. (2007), New History of 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. The commission completed this task, under the chairmanship of Eleanor Roosevelt, when it finalised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Eventually a few of the demonstrators dared to cross the street, led by James Forman who had organized the march. By lunchtime, the crowd outside the police station had grown to an estimated 20,000 people. 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. By the 25 March, the Minister of Justice suspended passes throughout the country and Chief Albert Luthuli and Professor Z.K. 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. [5], F-86 Sabre jets and Harvard Trainers approached to within 30 metres (98ft) of the ground, flying low over the crowd in an attempt to scatter it. On 20 March Nana Mahomo and Peter Molotsi has crossed the border into Bechuanaland to mobilize support for the PAC. To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar. Both were tasked with mobilizing international financial and diplomatic support for sanctions against South Africa. . 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]. 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. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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 movement in this period that revived the political opposition against the apartheid was the Black Consciousness Movement. Approximately 10,000 Africans were forcibly removed to Sharpeville. On 21 March 1960, sixty-nine unarmed anti-pass protesters were shot dead by police and over 180 were injured. The same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages. The incident resulted in the largest number of South African deaths (up to that point) in a protest against apartheid . 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. [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. [12], Many White South Africans were also horrified by the massacre. The significance of the date is reflected in the fact that it now marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. 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. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. How the Sharpeville massacre changed the course of human rights According to an account from Humphrey Tyler, the assistant editor at Drum magazine: The police have claimed they were in desperate danger because the crowd was stoning them. 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. It is also a day to reflect on the progress that has been made in ensuring basic human rights for all South Africans, as enshrined in our Constitution. Sharpeville Massacre - South Africa: Overcoming Apartheid