(2000) Focus: 'Lest We Forget', Sunday World, 19 March. In response, a police officer shouted in Afrikaans skiet or nskiet (exactly which is not clear), which translates either as shot or shoot. Both were tasked with mobilizing international financial and diplomatic support for sanctions against South Africa. He became South Africa's . 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. . 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 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. The Afrikaner poet Ingrid Jonker mentioned the Sharpeville Massacre in her verse. What were the causes of the Sharpeville Massacre? - eNotes Although blood was not shed on Krogs hands directly, she took on the shame of her race. a photographer whose pictures of the killings caused an . Other protests around the country on 21 March 1960. The only Minister who showed any misgivings regarding government policy was Paul Sauer. Plaatjie, T. (1998) Focus: 'Sharpeville Heroes Neglected', The Sowetan, 20 March.|Reverend Ambrose Reeves (1966). It include with civil right that violence verses non-violence that the government could or. 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. 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. He was followed by Dr. Yusuf Dadoo, Chairperson of the South African Indian Congress and Chairperson of the underground South African Communist Party. One of the insights was that international law does not change, unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. 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 protesters offered themselves up for arrest for not carrying their passes. When protesters reconvened in defiance, the police charged at them with batons, tear gas and guns. BBC World Service - Witness History, The Sharpeville massacre All the evidence points to the gathering being peaceful and good-humoured. I will argue that the massacre created a major short-term crisis for the apartheid state, a crisis which appeared to Find out what the UN in South Africa is doing towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. At this conference, it was announced that the PAC would launch its own anti-pass campaign. This article first appeared on The Conversation, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. The OHCHR Regional Office for Southern Africa also produced a series of digital stories on the Sharpeville massacre and young peoples concerns about their human rights. When police opened . But even still, southern activists worked to defend the practice of segregation. 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. The Black resistance began to gain more momentum and increasingly became more threatening. Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards. On March 30, the South African government declared a state of emergency which made any protest illegal. 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 1960 it was the site of one of the earliest and most violent demonstrations against apartheid. Under this system there was an extended period of gruesome violence against individuals of colored skin in South Africa. Participants were instructed to surrender their reference books (passes) and invite arrest. 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. Its similar to an article in south africa that people have with racial segregation between black and white . The rally began peacefully, the iron bell was rung (usually it was rung to signal victories in football games) and one speaker started to speak. The march was also led by Clarence Makwetu, the Secretary of the PACs New Flats branch. Expert Answers. 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. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. 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. His protest was ignored, and the government turned a blind eye to the increasing protests from industrialists and leaders of commerce. 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. 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). This abuse towards people of colour in South Africa made people around the world want to protest against South Africa's government. Policemen in Cape Town were forcing Africans back to work with batons and sjamboks, and four people were shot and killed in Durban. Just after 1pm, there was an altercation between the police officer in charge and the leaders of the demonstration. However, many people joined the procession quite willingly. Robert Sobukwe and other leaders were arrested and detained after the Sharpeville massacre, some for nearly three years after the incident. But attempts to transform this non-binding moral declaration into a binding legal code were immediately bogged down in Cold War disputes. 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. 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. Omissions? 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. It also came to symbolize that struggle. The South African government began arresting more nonconformists and banning resistance organizations, such as the African National Congress and the Pan African Congress. This shows a significant similarity in that both time periods leaders attempted to achieve the goal of ending. Across the street came 40 or so students who planned on joining the group en route to the Courthouse. It was a sad day for black South Africa. The Sharpeville massacre was a turning point in South African history. This affirmed that the elimination of racial discrimination was a global challenge that affronted the respect and dignity of all human beings. By lunchtime, the crowd outside the police station had grown to an estimated 20,000 people. Fewer than 20 police officers were present in the station at the start of the protest. 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. This march is seen by many as a turning point in South African history. By continuing to use this site, you consent to the terms of our cookie policy, which can be found in our. The logjam was only broken after the Sharpeville massacre, as the UN decided to deal with the problem of apartheid South Africa. "[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]. 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". Sharpeville Massacre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays . 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. 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 . On the same day, the government responded by declaring a state of emergency and banning all public meetings. The term human rights was first used in the UN Charter in 1945. After demonstrating against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000 protesters went to the police station. Another officer interpreted this as an order and opened fire, triggering a lethal fusillade as 168 police constables followed his example. Learn about employment opportunities across the UN in South Africa. What were the consequences of the Sharpeville Massacre? A state of emergency was declared in South Africa, more than 11,000 people were detained, and the PAC and ANC were outlawed. [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. This translates as shot or shoot. 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. Three people were killed and 26 others were injured. Some of them had been on duty for over twenty-four hours without respite. 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. Protestors asyoung as 12and13were killed. 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. Updates? 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 21st, 1960, the Pan Africanists Congress, an anti-Apartheid splinter organization formed in 1959, organized a protest to the National Partys pass laws which required all citizens, as well as native Africans, to carry identification papers on them at all times. 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. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. In March 1960, South African police shot dead 69 black protestors, sparking worldwide outrage . . [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 same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages. Selinah was shot in her leg but survived the massacre. It's been 60 years since the Sharpeville massacre, when 69 unarmed civilians were killed by armed South African police on March 21 1960. Sharpeville is a township near Vereeniging, in the Gauteng province of South Africa. 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. Race, ethnicity and political groups, is an example of this. During the shooting about 69 black people were killed. The commission completed this task, under the chairmanship of Eleanor Roosevelt, when it finalised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Sharpeville marked a turning point in South Africa's history; the country found itself increasingly isolated in the international community. Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. These resolutions established two important principles: that the human rights provisions in the UN Charter created binding obligations for member states, and that the UN could intervene directly in situations involving serious violations of human rights. Nearly 300 police officers arrived to put an end to the peaceful protest. They met a police line a few blocks from the Courthouse and were forbidden from proceeding because they did not have a parade permit (Reed 26). Racial and religious conflicts; conflicts between dictatorial governments and their citizens; the battle between the sexes; conflicts between management and labor; and conflicts between heterosexuals and homosexuals all stem, in whole or in part, to oppression. 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. 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. 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. The Sharpeville Massacre occurred on March 21, 1960, in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa. the Sharpeville Massacre On This Day in History: The Sharpeville Massacre Pass Laws and Sharpeville Massacre | South African History Online 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. 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. Do you find this information helpful? 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. Confrontation in the township of Sharpeville, Gauteng Province. Massacre in Sharpeville. 351 Francis Baard Street,Metro Park Building ,10th Floor The massacre was photographed by photographer Ian Berry, who initially thought the police were firing blanks. Sharpeville 50 years on: 'At some stage all hell will break loose' Sharpeville massacre - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help 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. 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. 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. 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. Following shortly, the Group Areas Act of 1950 was enacted as a new form of legislation alongside the Population Registration Act. The, For one, African American leaders in the 90s to the 20s attempted to end the disenfranchisement of African Americans, done through poll taxes and literacy tests, by advocating their cause in the more sympathetic North. Sharpeville: A Massacre and Its Consequences | Foreign Affairs Reports of the incident helped focus international criticism on South Africas apartheid policy.
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