Dr. Verwoerd praised the police for their actions. The commission completed this task, under the chairmanship of Eleanor Roosevelt, when it finalised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. 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. A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. Omissions? 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. 1960 police killing of protesters in Transvaal (now Gauteng), South Africa. With the election of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa in 1994, the apartheid system ended. The two causes went hand in hand in this, rocketing in support and becoming the main goal of the country - the end of segregation was the most dire problem that the Civil Rights Movement needed to solve. The laws said that blacks could not enter white areas unless they carried documents known as pass books. What happened on 21 March in Sharpeville? Sharpeville massacre - Wikipedia 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. [6]:p.534, By 10:00, a large crowd had gathered, and the atmosphere was initially peaceful and festive. Pogrund,B. 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. As part of its response, the General Assembly tasked the UN Commission on Human Rights to prepare the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the first global human rights treaty. Baileys African History. 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. The police were armed with firearms, including Sten submachine guns and LeeEnfield rifles. 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. Half a century has passed but memories of the Sharpeville massacre still run deep. 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. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. However, the nations mentality needed work - though the popularity of Civil Rights was rising, many riots and racial hate crimes continued to occur throughout the country, with many casualties resulting from them (infoplease.com). OHCHRs regional representative Abigail Noko used the opportunity to call on all decision-makers to give youth a seat at the decision-making table. PDF "A tragic turning-point: remembering Sharpeville fifty years on" 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 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. By 1960, however, anti-apartheid activism reached the town. What caused the massacre in Sharpeville? - KnowledgeBurrow.com During the shooting about 69 black people were killed. This movement sought to overcome the subjugation the racist South African government and apartheid laws imposed on Blacks. This detailed act separated tribes based on ethnics; consequently, further detailing segregation amongst the natives . On 21 March 1960, sixty-nine unarmed anti-pass protesters were shot dead by police and over 180 were injured. At this conference, it was announced that the PAC would launch its own anti-pass campaign. I will argue that the massacre created a major short-term crisis for the apartheid state, a crisis which appeared to 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 Minister of Native Affairs declared that apartheid was a model for the world. The Sharpeville massacre sparked hundreds of mass protests by black South Africans, many of which were ruthlessly and violently crushed by the South African police and military. However, the police simply took down the protesters names and did not arrest anyone. Across the street came 40 or so students who planned on joining the group en route to the Courthouse. 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. "[1] He also denied giving any order to fire and stated that he would not have done so. One way of accomplishing this was by instilling laws thatd force segregation, classification, educational requirements, and economic purposes. 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). Ingrid de Kok was a child living on a mining compound near Johannesburg where her father worked at the time of the Sharpeville massacre. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship. Many people need to know that indiviual have their own rights in laws and freedom . The term human rights was first used in the UN Charter in 1945. The Sharpeville massacre sparked hundreds of mass protests by black South Africans, many of which were ruthlessly and violently crushed by the South African police and military. The event was an inspiration for painter Oliver Lee Jackson in his Sharpeville Series from the 1970s.[23]. 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. It's been 60 years since the Sharpeville massacre, when 69 unarmed civilians were killed by armed South African police on March 21 1960. Apartheid in South Africa. - GCSE Politics - Marked by Teachers.com On March 21, 1960, without warning, South African police at Sharpeville, an African township of Vereeninging, south of Johannesburg, shot into a crowd of about 5,000 unarmed anti-pass protesters, killing at least 69 people - many of them shot in the back - and wounding . This abuse towards people of colour in South Africa made people around the world want to protest against South Africa's government. This article first appeared on The Conversation, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. (2007), New History of South Africa. The quest for international support, mass mobilization, armed operations, and underground organization became the basis for the ANCs Four Pillars of Struggle. Mandela and was given a life sentence in prison for treason against the South African government in 1964. He was followed by Dr. Yusuf Dadoo, Chairperson of the South African Indian Congress and Chairperson of the underground South African Communist Party. Over five thousand individuals came to protest the cause in Sharpeville. One of the insights was that international law does not change, unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. Pass Laws and Sharpeville Massacre | South African History Online In 1946, the UN established the Commission on Human Rights, whose first job was to draft a declaration on human rights. Following shortly, the Group Areas Act of 1950 was enacted as a new form of legislation alongside the Population Registration Act. 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. Find out what the UN in South Africa is doing towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Eyewitness accounts of the Sharpeville massacre 1960 While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. As the small crowd approached the station, most of the marchers, including Sobukwe, were arrested and charged with sedition. Everyone should have an equal rights and better community . However, Foreign Consulates were flooded with requests for emigration, and fearful White South Africans armed themselves. 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. Sharpeville massacre - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help Eyewitness accounts and evidence later led to an official inquiry which attested to the fact that large number of people were shot in the back as they were fleeing the scene. 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 firing lasted for approximately two minutes, leaving 69 people dead and, according to the official inquest, 180 people seriously wounded. Even so and estimated 2000 to 3000 people gathered on the Commons. Police arrested more than 11,000 people and kept them in jail. 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. At 13h15 a small scuffle began near the entrance of the police station. 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. Lancaster University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. One of the insights has been that international law does not change unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. Police officers attempted to use tear gas to repel these advances, but it proved ineffectual, and the police fell back on the use of their batons. the Sharpeville Massacre [9] The Sharpeville police were not completely unprepared for the demonstration, as they had already driven smaller groups of more militant activists away the previous night. During those five months roughly 25,000 people were arrested throughout the nation. [13], A storm of international protest followed the Sharpeville shootings, including sympathetic demonstrations in many countries[14][15] and condemnation by the United Nations. 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. Pheko, M. (2000) Focus: 'Lest We Forget Sharpeville', The Sowetan, 20 March. It also came to symbolize that struggle. Some estimates put the size of the crowd at 20,000. 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 events also prompted theInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminationwhich took effect on 4 January 1969. The ANC was encouraged and campaigned for democracy in South Africa. Crowds fleeing from bullets on the day of the Massacre. [10] Few of the policemen present had received public order training. 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.