what caused the sharpeville massacre

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. 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). On the day passes were suspended (25 March 1960) Kgosana led another march of between 2000 and 5000 people from Langa to Caledon Square. A protest that had been scheduled three days earlier was planned for noon on Monday, May 4. 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). [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. 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. At 13h15 a small scuffle began near the entrance of the police station. 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. Matthews called on all South Africans to mark a national day of mourning for the victims on the 28 March. Three people were killed and 26 others were injured. Initially the police commander refused but much later, approximately 11h00, they were let through; the chanting of freedom songs continued and the slogans were repeated with even greater volume. Dr. Verwoerd praised the police for their actions. 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. By 1960, however, anti-apartheid activism reached the town. The targeted protest became infamous in the Civil Rights Movement, marked Bloody Sunday and was crucial to gaining favor of the public (civilrights.org). The significance of the date is reflected in the fact that it now marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. 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. To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar. Furthermore, during the nineties to the twenties, leaders of African Americans sought to end segregation in the South, as caused by Plessy v. Ferguson. 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. OHCHRs regional representative Abigail Noko used the opportunity to call on all decision-makers to give youth a seat at the decision-making table. Sharpeville Massacre. Expert Answers. The Supreme Courts decision in the famous and landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 set a precedent for desegregation in schools. After demonstrating against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000 protesters went to the police station. [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. Fewer than 20 police officers were present in the station at the start of the protest. All that changed following the worlds moral outrage at the killings. 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. [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. Lancaster University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. 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. When police opened . 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. Over five thousand individuals came to protest the cause in Sharpeville. 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). In 1946, the UN established the Commission on Human Rights, whose first job was to draft a declaration on human rights. All that changed following the worlds moral outrage at the killings. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. The police also have said that the crowd was armed with 'ferocious weapons', which littered the compound after they fled. The protesters offered themselves up for arrest for not carrying their passes. "[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. 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. 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). The incident resulted in the largest number of South African deaths (up to that point) in a protest against apartheid . The Sharpeville Massacre, 1960 Exhibit - University of Michigan the Sharpeville Massacre It had wide ramifications and a significant impact. Due to the illness, removals from Topville began in 1958. Sharpeville Massacre - YouTube After apartheid ended, President Nelson Mandela chose Sharpeville as the place to sign South Africas new constitution on December 10, 1996. Often times individuals feel proud to be a member of their group and it becomes an important part of how they view themselves and their identity. Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards. I will argue that the massacre created a major short-term crisis for the apartheid state, a crisis which appeared to In March 1960, South African police shot dead 69 black protestors, sparking worldwide outrage . The Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), a splinter group of the African National Congress (ANC) created in 1959, organized a countrywide demonstration for March 21, 1960, for the abolition of South Africas pass laws. Lined up outside was a large contingent of armed police with some atop armoured cars. The ANC Vice-President, Oliver Tambo, was secretly driven across the border by Ronel Segal into the then British controlled territory of Bechunaland. At this point the National Guard chose to disperse the crowd, fearing that the situation might get out of hand and grow into another violent protest. Pheko, M. (2000) Focus: 'Lest We Forget Sharpeville', The Sowetan, 20 March. In order to reduce the possibility of violence, he wrote a letter to the Sharpeville police commissioner announcing the upcoming protest and emphasizing that its participants would be non-violent. 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. [13], A storm of international protest followed the Sharpeville shootings, including sympathetic demonstrations in many countries[14][15] and condemnation by the United Nations. 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. 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. Sharpeville Massacre - South Africa: Overcoming Apartheid The significance of the date is reflected in the fact that. Only the four Native Representatives and members of the new Progressive Party voted against the Bill. Omissions? The Department of Home Affairs (a government bureau) was responsible for the classification of the citizenry. 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. Sharpeville Massacre - BlackPast.org Corrections? There was no evidence that anyone in the gathering was armed with anything other than stones. Reports of the incident helped focus international criticism on South Africas apartheid policy. 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. It was a sad day for black South Africa. The 1960 Sharpeville Massacre was the result of a peaceful protest regarding racist South African policies of apartheid. Selinah Mnguniwas 23 years old and already three months pregnant when she was injured in the Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960. Police witnesses claimed that stones were thrown, and in a panicked and rash reaction, the officers opened fire on the crowd. The Sharpsville Massacre was a seminal moment in the history of South Africa. What were the consequences of the Sharpeville Massacre? 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. Professor of International Law, Lancaster University. "The aeroplanes were flying high and low. The campaign slogan was "NO BAIL! They were mild campaigns at first, but as the government became more hostile, so did ANC protests. As the campaign went on, the apartheid government started imposing strict punishments on people who violated the segregationist laws. Following the Brown decision, grassroots African American activists began challenging segregation through protests continuing into the 1960s (Aiken et al., 2013). Weve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. In response, a police officer shouted in Afrikaans skiet or nskiet (exactly which is not clear), which translates either as shot or shoot. Baileys African History. On March 21, demonstrators disobeyed the pass laws by giving up or burning their pass books. Robert Sobukwe | South African History Online On 20 March Nana Mahomo and Peter Molotsi has crossed the border into Bechuanaland to mobilize support for the PAC. The police were armed with firearms, including Sten submachine guns and LeeEnfield rifles. 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. Another officer interpreted this as an order and opened fire, triggering a lethal fusillade as 168 police constables followed his example.