Start your Independent Premium subscription 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. This abuse towards people of colour in South Africa made people around the world want to protest against South Africa's government. 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). By 9 April the death toll had risen to 83 non-White civilians and three non-White police officers. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. A lot of Afrikaners felt a sense of guilt for the behavior they allowed to happen from their race towards another. Eyewitness accounts attest to the fact that the people were given no warning to disperse. By the 25 March, the Minister of Justice suspended passes throughout the country and Chief Albert Luthuli and Professor Z.K. UNESCO marks 21 March as the yearly International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in memory of the massacre. In response, a police officer shouted in Afrikaans skiet or nskiet (exactly which is not clear), which translates either as shot or shoot. In conclusion; Sharpeville, the imposition of a state of emergency, the arrest of thousands of Black people and the banning of the ANC and PAC convinced the anti-apartheid leadership that non-violent action was not going to bring about change without armed action. Furthermore, the history of the African civil rights movement validated: Nationalism has been tested in the peoples struggles . Mandela and was given a life sentence in prison for treason against the South African government in 1964. The logjam was only broken after the Sharpeville massacre, as the UN decided to deal with the problem of apartheid South Africa. However, the 1289 Words 6 Pages Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Robert Sobukwe and other leaders were arrested and detained after the Sharpeville massacre, some for nearly three years after the incident. 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). As the small crowd approached the station, most of the marchers, including Sobukwe, were arrested and charged with sedition. Sources disagree as to the behaviour of the crowd: some state that the crowd was peaceful, while others state that the crowd had been hurling stones at the police and that the mood had turned "ugly". According to his "Testimony about the Launch of the Campaign," Sobukwe declared: At the press conference Sobukwe emphasized that the campaign should be conducted in a spirit of absolute non-violence and that the PAC saw it as the first step in Black people's bid for total independence and freedom by 1963 (Cape Times, 1960). The call for a stay away on 28 March was highly successful and was the first ever national strike in the countrys history. 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. [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. The Minister of Justice called for calm and the Minister of Finance encouraged immigration. In March 1960, South African police shot dead 69 black protestors, sparking worldwide outrage . 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. 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. The movement in this period that revived the political opposition against the apartheid was the Black Consciousness Movement. Following the Sharpeville massacre, as it came to be known, the death toll rose to 69 and the number of injuries to 180. Accounting & Finance; Business, Companies and Organisation, Activity; Case Studies; Economy & Economics; Marketing and Markets; People in Business In response, a police officer shouted in Afrikaans skiet or nskiet (exactly which is not clear). About 69 Blacks were killed and more than 180 wounded, some 50 women and children being among the victims. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. March 21, is celebrated as a public holiday in honor of human rights and to commemorate the . The protesters responded by hurling stones (striking three policemen) and rushing the police barricades. Matthews called on all South Africans to mark a national day of mourning for the victims on the 28 March. The logjam was only broken after the Sharpeville massacre as the UN decided to deal with the problem of apartheid South Africa. 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. The Sharpsville Massacre was a seminal moment in the history of South Africa. This shows a significant similarity in that both time periods leaders attempted to achieve the goal of ending. Updates? On 24 March 1960, in protest of the massacre, Regional Secretary General of the PAC, Philip Kgosana, led a march of 101 people from Langa to the police headquarters in Caledon Square, Cape Town. On 1 April 1960, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 134. [3], South African governments since the eighteenth century had enacted measures to restrict the flow of African South Africans into cities. Another officer interpreted this as an order and opened fire, triggering a lethal fusillade as 168 police constables followed his example. The Sharpeville massacre was a turning point in South African history. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. Sharpeville marked a turning point in South Africa's history; the country found itself increasingly isolated in the international community. (2000) Focus: 'Lest We Forget', Sunday World, 19 March. Dr. Verwoerd praised the police for their actions. The Population Registration Act of 1950 enacted, requiring segregation of Europeans from Afrikaans . Some were shot in the back as they fled.[1]. "[1] He also denied giving any order to fire and stated that he would not have done so. It also came to symbolize that struggle. Business Studies. During the shooting about 69 black people were killed. 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. To read more about the protests in Cape Town. 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. In my own research on international human rights law, I 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 had developed and evolved. By the end of the day, 69 people lay dead or dying, with hundreds more injured. All that changed following the worlds moral outrage at the killings. Other witnesses claimed there was no order to open fire, and the police did not fire a warning shot above the crowd. 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. It was a system of segregation put in place by the National Party, which governed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. and [proved to be] the only antidote against foreign rule and modern imperialism (Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom 2008, 156) . 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. OHCHRs regional representative Abigail Noko used the opportunity to call on all decision-makers to give youth a seat at the decision-making table. The significance of the date is reflected in the fact that it now marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The officers asked the demonstrators to turn around; however, they did not budge. As the campaign went on, the apartheid government started imposing strict punishments on people who violated the segregationist laws. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. Take a minute to check out all the enhancements! Do you find this information helpful? Migration is a human right, How the Sharpeville massacre changed the United Nations, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. 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. The incident resulted in the largest number of South African deaths (up to that point) in a protest against apartheid. After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. The march was also led by Clarence Makwetu, the Secretary of the PACs New Flats branch. 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. 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. In Pretoria a small group of six people presented themselves at the Hercules police station. All blacks were required to carry ``pass books ' ' containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black areas. The ban remained in effect until August 31, 1960. [1], Victims were buried en masse in a ceremony performed by clergy. 351 Francis Baard Street,Metro Park Building ,10th Floor The Supreme Courts decision in the famous and landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 set a precedent for desegregation in schools. And then there are those who feel deeply involved and moved, but also powerless to deal with the enormity of the situation (Krog 221). 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. 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. We need the voices of young people to break through the silence that locks in discrimination and oppression. 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. Half a century has passed but memories of the Sharpeville massacre still run deep. Many others were not so lucky: 69 unarmed and non-violent protesters were gunned down by theSouth Africanpolice and hundreds more were injured. This angered the officers causing them to brutally attack and tear gas the demonstrators. In her moving poem Our Sharpeville she reflects on the atrocity through the eyes of a child. It also contributed the headline story at the Anti-Racism Live Global Digital Experience that marked March 21 internationally with acclaimed artists, actors and prominent speakers from South Africa including Thuli Madonsela, Zulaikha Patel and Zwai Bala. One of the insights has been that international law does not change unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. In March 1960 the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), an antiapartheid party, organized nationwide protests against South Africas pass laws. This, said Mr Subukwe, would cause prisons to become overcrowded, labour to dry up and the economy to grind to a halt. A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar. 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 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. 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 poet Duncan Livingstone, a Scottish immigrant from the Isle of Mull who lived in Pretoria, wrote in response to the Massacre the Scottish Gaelic poem Bean Dubh a' Caoidh a Fir a Chaidh a Marbhadh leis a' Phoileas ("A Black Woman Mourns her Husband Killed by the Police"). Without the Sharpeville massacre, we may not have the international human rights law system we have today. At least 180 were wounded. Following shortly, the Group Areas Act of 1950 was enacted as a new form of legislation alongside the Population Registration Act. The massacre was photographed by photographer Ian Berry, who initially thought the police were firing blanks. When protesters reconvened in defiance, the police charged at them with batons, tear gas and guns. 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. A state of emergency was declared in South Africa, more than 11,000 people were detained, and the PAC and ANC were outlawed. The Black resistance began to gain more momentum and increasingly became more threatening. There was no evidence that anyone in the gathering was armed with anything other than stones. The protesters offered themselves up for arrest for not carrying their passes. The massacre was one of the catalysts for a shift from passive resistance to armed resistance by these organisations. 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. 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. Plaatjie, T. (1998) Focus: 'Sharpeville Heroes Neglected', The Sowetan, 20 March.|Reverend Ambrose Reeves (1966). The PAC organised demonstration attracted between 5,000 and 7,000 protesters. 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. 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. Significant reshaping of international law is often the result of momentous occurrences, most notably the two world wars. Policemen in Cape Town were forcing Africans back to work with batons and sjamboks, and four people were shot and killed in Durban. Both organisations were deemed a serious threat to the safety of the public and the vote stood at 128 to 16 in favour of the banning. 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. The ratification of these laws may have made the separate but equal rhetoric illegal for the U.S. but the citizens inside it still battled for their beliefs. In 1946, the UN established the Commission on Human Rights, whose first job was to draft a declaration on human rights. This shows a major similarity as they wanted to achieve the same things. Only the four Native Representatives and members of the new Progressive Party voted against the Bill. Over five thousand individuals came to protest the cause in Sharpeville. Sobukwe was only released in 1969. The targeted protest became infamous in the Civil Rights Movement, marked Bloody Sunday and was crucial to gaining favor of the public (civilrights.org). 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 Sharpeville massacre sparked hundreds of mass protests by black South Africans. 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. Max Roach's 1960 Album We Insist! The Sharpeville Massacre occurred on March 21, 1960, in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa. The Black Consciousness Movement sparked mass protests among Blacks and prompted other liberation movements to demonstrate against the apartheid. 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. 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 ). 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. This march is seen by many as a turning point in South African history. However, many people joined the procession quite willingly. But change can also be prompted by seemingly minor events in global affairs, such as the Sharpeville massacre the so-called butterfly effect. Protestors asyoung as 12and13were killed. Three people were killed and 26 others were injured. 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. Unfortunately, police forces arrived and open fired on the protesters, killing ninety-six in what became known as the Sharpeville massacre. The event also played a role in South Africa's departure from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1961. 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). Both were tasked with mobilizing international financial and diplomatic support for sanctions against South Africa. The ANC was encouraged and campaigned for democracy in 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]. Reports of the incident helped focus international criticism on South Africas apartheid policy. Sobukwe was only released in 1969. A posseman. Expert Answers. Our work on the Sustainable Development Goals. That date now marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and without the Sharpeville massacre, we may not have the international system of human rights that we have today. 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. Weve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. 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. The Sharpeville massacre was reported worldwide, and received with horror from every quarter. 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. 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. 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. By the end of the day, 69 people lay dead or dying, with hundreds more injured. The victims included about 50 women and children. Sharpeville was much more than a single tragic event. Crowds fleeing from bullets on the day of the Massacre. The 1960 Sharpeville Massacre was the result of a peaceful protest regarding racist South African policies of apartheid. The policemen were apparently jittery after a recent event in Durban where nine policemen were shot. [16], The Sharpeville massacre contributed to the banning of the PAC and ANC as illegal organisations. Through a series of mass actions, the ANC planned to launch a nationwide anti-pass campaign on 31 March - the anniversary of the 1919 anti-pass campaign. 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 . The laws said that blacks could not enter white areas unless they carried documents known as pass books. The firing lasted for approximately two minutes, leaving 69 people dead and, according to the official inquest, 180 people seriously wounded. 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. 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 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. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. 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. Other protests around the country on 21 March 1960. Let's Take Action Towards the Sustainable Development Goals. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Due to the illness, removals from Topville began in 1958. When the demonstrators began to throw stones at the police, the police started shooting into the crowd. A state of emergency was announced in South Africa. 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. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Participants were instructed to surrender their reference books (passes) and invite arrest. On March 21, 1960. Lancaster University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. Sharpeville was first built in 1943 to replace Topville, a nearby township that suffered overcrowding where illnesses like pneumonia were widespread. Find out more about our work towards the Sustainable Development Goals. 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. Learn about employment opportunities across the UN in South Africa. On March 21, an estimated 7,000 South Africans gathered in front of the Sharpeville police station to protest against the restrictive pass laws. This affirmed that the elimination of racial discrimination was a global challenge that affronted the respect and dignity of all human beings. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. 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. [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. Its been 60 years since the Sharpeville massacre, when 69 unarmed civilians were killed by armed South African police on March 21 1960. The University had tried to ban the protest; they handed out 12,000 leaflets saying the event was cancelled. The ANC Vice-President, Oliver Tambo, was secretly driven across the border by Ronel Segal into the then British controlled territory of Bechunaland. 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. 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.