This march is seen by many as a turning point in South African history. Nearly 300 police officers arrived to put an end to the peaceful protest. 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. As the small crowd approached the station, most of the marchers, including Sobukwe, were arrested and charged with sedition. Reports of the incident helped focus international criticism on South Africas apartheid policy. Sharpeville massacre | Summary, Significance, & Facts Some were shot in the back as they fled.[1]. Attending a protest in peaceful defiance of the apartheid regime, Selinah and many other young people were demonstrating against pass laws designed to restrict and control the movement and employment of millions of Black South Africans. The PAC argued that if thousands of people were arrested, then the jails would be filled and the economy would come to a standstill. 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. It's been 60 years since the Sharpeville massacre, when 69 unarmed civilians were killed by armed South African police on March 21 1960. In addition other small groups of PAC activists presented themselves at police stations in Durban and East London. The foundation of Poqo, the military wing of the PAC, and Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC, followed shortly afterwards. 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. Massacre in Sharpeville - HISTORY Mandela and was given a life sentence in prison for treason against the South African government in 1964. As an act of rebellion the passes were set alight, as seen in a picture by Ranjith Kally. 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. In November 1961, a military branch of the party was organized with Mandela as its head. Pheko, M. (2000) Focus: 'Lest We Forget Sharpeville', The Sowetan, 20 March. Furthermore, during the nineties to the twenties, leaders of African Americans sought to end segregation in the South, as caused by Plessy v. Ferguson. 26 Black policemen and 365 Black civilians were injured no White police men were killed and only 60 were injured. It was adopted on 21 December 1965. By 1960, however, anti-apartheid activism reached the town. But it was not until after Sharpeville that the UN made clear that the countrys system of racial segregation would no longer be tolerated. All that changed following the worlds moral outrage at the killings. What happened on 21 March in Sharpeville? During the Eisenhower administration, Congress passed two measures that proved to be ineffective: the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Act of 1960. Kgosana agreed to disperse the protestors in if a meeting with J B Vorster, then Minister of Justice, could be secured. The police ordered the crowd to disperse within 3 minutes. Dr. Verwoerd praised the police for their actions. Under the country's National Party government, African residents in urban districts were subject to influx control measures. And with the 24th Amendment, Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Voting Rights Act of 1965 being ratified, the civil rights movement and the fight to end segregation reached its legal goal (infoplease.com). Sharpeville: An apartheid massacre and its consequences They were mild campaigns at first, but as the government became more hostile, so did ANC protests. The Minister of Justice called for calm and the Minister of Finance encouraged immigration. The police were armed with firearms, including Sten submachine guns and LeeEnfield rifles. A deranged White man, David Pratt, made an assassination attempt on Dr. Verwoerd, who was seriously injured. As segregation and civil rights become national topics, their. He was followed by Dr. Yusuf Dadoo, Chairperson of the South African Indian Congress and Chairperson of the underground South African Communist Party. 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). 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 only Minister who showed any misgivings regarding government policy was Paul Sauer. Sharpeville Massacre, The Origin of South Africa's Human Rights Day [online], available at: africanhistory.about.com [accessed 10 March 2009]|Thloloe, J. 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. This article first appeared on The Conversation, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards. The Sharpeville Massacre took place in a south african police station of Sharpeville. 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. Causes Of The Sharpeville Massacre - 1710 Words | Bartleby 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. Police were temporarily paralyzed with indecision. Eyewitness accounts of the Sharpeville massacre 1960 It was adopted on December 21 1965. 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. At least 180 were wounded. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. 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. The mood of the protest had started out as peaceful and festive when there were . In March 1960, South African police shot dead 69 black protestors, sparking worldwide outrage . (2007), New History of 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. Selinah Mnguniwas 23 years old and already three months pregnant when she was injured in the Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960. 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. The massacre occurred at the police station in the South African township of Sharpeville, A child demonstrates in front of Johannesburgs city hall after the Sharpeville massacre (AFP/Getty), The aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, The BritishAnti-Apartheid Movement marks the tenth anniversary of the massacre with a re-enactmentin Trafalgar Square, A family member stands next to a memorial toone of the victims of the Sharpeville massacre ahead of Human Rights Day in 2016 (AFP/Getty), Its been 60 years since dozens of protesters were killed at a peaceful anti-apartheid rally in South Africa. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. The 1960 Sharpeville Massacre was the result of a peaceful protest regarding racist South African policies of apartheid. These protestors included a large number of northern college students. They also perpetuated the segregation within, The increase in the segregationist laws in the 1950s was met with resistance in the form of the Defiance Campaign that started in 1952. 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. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. This caused many other countries to criticize South Africas apartheid policy. 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.
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