Eyewitness accounts of the Sharpeville massacre 1960 Amid confusion, two shots were fired into the air by somebody in the crowd. The Sharpeville Massacre took place in a south african police station of Sharpeville. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. By the end of the day, 69 people lay dead or dying, with hundreds more injured. Courtesy BaileySeippel Gallery/BAHA Source. Professor of International Law, Lancaster University. The logjam was only broken after the Sharpeville massacre as the UN decided to deal with the problem of apartheid South Africa. But change can also be prompted by seemingly minor events in global affairs, such as the Sharpeville massacre the so-called butterfly effect. Early on the 21st the local PAC leaders first gathered in a field not far from the Sharpeville police station, when a sizable crowd of people had joined them they proceeded to the police station - chanting freedom songs and calling out the campaign slogans "Izwe lethu" (Our land); "Awaphele amapasti" (Down with passes); "Sobukwe Sikhokhele" (Lead us Sobukwe); "Forward to Independence,Tomorrow the United States of Africa.". Sharpeville massacre marked turning point in South Africa's history [10] Some insight into the mindset of those on the police force was provided by Lieutenant Colonel Pienaar, the commanding officer of the police reinforcements at Sharpeville, who said in his statement that "the native mentality does not allow them to gather for a peaceful demonstration. Do you find this information helpful? 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,. As part of its response, the General Assembly tasked the UN Commission on Human Rights to prepare the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the first global human rights treaty. 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. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? 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. (2007), New History of South Africa. Updates? On 30 March 1960, the government declared a state of emergency, detaining more than 18,000 people, including prominent anti-apartheid activists who were known as members of the Congress Alliance including Nelson Mandela and some still enmeshed in the Treason Trial. 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. In 1994, Mandela signed the nations first post-apartheid constitution near the site of the 1960 massacre. Pheko, M. (2000) Focus: 'Lest We Forget Sharpeville', The Sowetan, 20 March. "The blood we sacrificed was worth it" - Sharpeville Massacre 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. 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. On March 30, the South African government declared a state of emergency which made any protest illegal. This detailed act separated tribes based on ethnics; consequently, further detailing segregation amongst the natives . By lunchtime, the crowd outside the police station had grown to an estimated 20,000 people. Sharpeville marked a turning point in South Africa's history; the country found itself increasingly isolated in the international community. Yet only three policemen were reported to have been hit by stones - and more than 200 Africans were shot down. The march was also led by Clarence Makwetu, the Secretary of the PACs New Flats branch. Corrections? 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. Dr. Verwoerd praised the police for their actions. [6]:p.534, By 10:00, a large crowd had gathered, and the atmosphere was initially peaceful and festive. It was a system of segregation put in place by the National Party, which governed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. On March 21, demonstrators disobeyed the pass laws by giving up or burning their pass books. Others were throwing rocks and shouting "Pigs off campus. The Sharpsville Massacre was a seminal moment in the history of South Africa. But attempts to transform this non-binding moral declaration into a binding legal code were immediately bogged down in cold war disputes. 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. This affirmed that the elimination of racial discrimination was a global challenge that affronted the respect and dignity of all human beings. 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. (2000) Focus: 'Lest We Forget', Sunday World, 19 March. 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. Due to the illness, removals from Topville began in 1958. The protesters offered themselves up for arrest for not carrying their passes. 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. That impact is best broken down into its short-term, medium-term, and long-term significance. It can be considered the beginning of the international struggle to bring an end to apartheid in South . Furthermore, a new police station was created, from which the police were energetic to check passes, deporting illegal residents, and raiding illegal shebeens. Find out what the UN in South Africa is doing towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Sharpeville massacre sparked hundreds of mass protests by black South Africans. Over five thousand individuals came to protest the cause in Sharpeville. Massacre in Sharpeville - HISTORY [12], Many White South Africans were also horrified by the massacre. Sharpeville Massacre, The Origin of South Africa's Human Rights Day [online], available at: africanhistory.about.com [accessed 10 March 2009]|Thloloe, J. Foundation remembers Sharpeville Massacre victims The commission completed this task, under the chairmanship of Eleanor Roosevelt, when it finalised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. [6]:p.163, The African National Congress (ANC) prepared to initiate a campaign of protests against pass laws. Sharpeville 50 years on: 'At some stage all hell will break loose' The police shot many in the back as they turned to flee, causing some to be paralyzed. The South African government began arresting more nonconformists and banning resistance organizations, such as the African National Congress and the Pan African Congress. The mood of the protest had started out as peaceful and festive when there were . Sobukwe was only released in 1969. 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. What caused the Sharpeville massacre? - Federalprism.com Another officer interpreted this as an order and opened fire, triggering a lethal fusillade as 168 police constables followed his example. 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). The only Minister who showed any misgivings regarding government policy was Paul Sauer. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. The police also have said that the crowd was armed with 'ferocious weapons', which littered the compound after they fled. This shows a major similarity as they wanted to achieve the same things. Confrontation in the township of Sharpeville, Gauteng Province. The firing lasted for approximately two minutes, leaving 69 people dead and, according to the official inquest, 180 people seriously wounded. Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the day that changed the course of South African history. Mandela went into hiding in 1964, he was captured, tried, and sentenced to life imprisonment. 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). Other evidence given to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission "the evidence of Commission deponents reveals a degree of deliberation in the decision to open fire at Sharpeville and indicates that the shooting was more than the result of inexperienced and frightened police officers losing their nerve. On 20 March Nana Mahomo and Peter Molotsi has crossed the border into Bechuanaland to mobilize support for the PAC. The police response to the protest became the primary cause of the massacre. Eventually a few of the demonstrators dared to cross the street, led by James Forman who had organized the march. Protestors asyoung as 12and13were killed. Causes Of The Sharpeville Massacre - 1710 Words | Bartleby . In the 1960s, many of the colonial nations of Africa were gaining independence. 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. Although blood was not shed on Krogs hands directly, she took on the shame of her race. As an act of rebellion the passes were set alight, as seen in a picture by Ranjith Kally. The incident resulted in the largest number of South African deaths (up to that point) in a protest against apartheid . Robert Sobukwe | South African History Online 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. the Sharpeville Massacre Later, in the fifties and the sixties, these same goals, enlign poll taxes and literacy tests, were once again fought for by African American leaders, through advocacy and agitation.

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