Sharpeville massacre

 

Apartheid in South Africa
Events and Projects
Sharpeville Massacre · Soweto uprising Treason Trial Rivonia Trial · Church Street bombing CODESA · St James Church massacre
Organizations
ANC · IFP · AWB · Black Sash · CCB Conservative Party · PP · RP · PRP PFP · HNP · MK · PAC · SACP · UDF Broederbond · National Party · COSATU
People
P.W Botha · Oupa Gqozo · DF Malan Nelson Mandela · Desmond Tutu · F.W. de Klerk Walter Sisulu · Helen Suzman · Harry Schwarz Andries Treurnicht · HF Verwoerd · Oliver Tambo BJ Vorster · Kaiser Matanzima · Jimmy Kruger Steve Biko
Places
Bantustan · District Six · Robben Island Sophiatown · South-West Africa Soweto · Vlakplaas
Other aspects
Apartheid laws · Freedom Charter Sullivan Principles · Kairos Document Disinvestment campaign South African Police

The Sharpeville massacre, also known as the Sharpeville shootings, occurred on March 21, 1960, when South African police began shooting on a crowd of black protesters. The confrontation occurred in the township of Sharpeville, in what is now Gauteng province.

Preceding events

Since 1923, the movements of black South Africans were restricted by pass laws. Leading up to the Sharpeville massacre, the Apartheid-supporting National Party government under the leadership of Hendrik Verwoerd used these laws to enforce greater segregation,^[1] and had recently been extended by the National Party to include women.^[2]

The African National Congress (ANC) had decided to launch a campaign of protests against pass laws. These protests were to begin on March 31 1960, but the rival Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) decided to pre-empt the ANC by launching its own campaign ten days earlier because they believed that the ANC could not win the campaign, on March 21.^[3]

Massacre

On March 21, a group of between 5,000 and 7,000 people converged on the local police station in the township of Sharpville, offering themselves up for arrest for not carrying their pass books. This was part of a broader campaign organized by the PAC. There is evidence that the PAC used creative means to draw the crowd to the protest, including the cutting of telephone lines into Sharpeville, the distribution of pamphlets telling people not to go to work on the day, and coercion of bus drivers.^[2] Regardless, most of the crowd were in favour of the protest.

By 10h00, a large crowd had gathered, and the atmosphere was peaceful and festive. Police and military used low-flying Sabre jet fighters to attempt to intimidate the crowd into dispersing, a tactic that had been successful at a similar protest on the same day at Evaton.^[2] The police set up Saracen armoured vehicles in a line facing the protesters, and at 13h15 fired upon the crowd.

Reasons for firing

Police reports claimed that members of the crowd threw stones at them, and that inexperienced police officers opened fire spontaneously. Lieutenant Colonel Pienaar, the commanding officer of the police forces at Sharpeville, denied giving any order to fire, and stated that he would not have done so. Nevertheless, his attitude towards the protest is revealed in his statement that "the Native mentality does not allow them to gather for a peaceful demonstration. For them to gather means violence."^[4] It is likely that the police were nervous as, a few weeks before the massacre, nine police officers were killed by a mob at Cato Manor.^[3] Evidence given to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission suggested "a degree of deliberation in the decision to open fire".^[2] The police continued firing even when the crowd had turned to run, and the majority of those killed and wounded were shot in the back.^[2] There was no evidence that any of the crowd were armed.

Death and injury toll

The official figure is that 69 people were killed including 8 women and 10 children, and over 180 injured, including 31 women and 19 children.^[4] The TRC found that the police actions constituted "gross human rights violations in that excessive force was unnecessarily used to stop a gathering of unarmed people."^[2]

Aftermath

The uproar among blacks was immediate, and the following week saw demonstrations, protest marches, strikes, and riots around the country. On March 30 1960, the government declared a state of emergency, detaining more than 18,000 people.

A storm of international protest followed the Sharpeville shootings, including condemnation by the United Nations. On April 1 1960, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 134. Sharpeville marked a turning point in South Africa's history; the country found itself increasingly isolated in the international community.

The Sharpeville massacre led to the banning of the PAC and ANC and was one of the catalysts for the foundation of Poqo, the military wing of the PAC.

The massacre was the inspiration for Ewan MacColl's anti-Apartheid protest song Black and White.

Sharpeville was the site selected by then-President Nelson Mandela for the signing into law of the Constitution of South Africa, on December 10, 1996.

Significance in terms of the political struggle

Shift from passive to violent resistance

A key element in understanding this event was the ongoing debate within the liberation movements about the use of violence. The African National Congress was largely informed by the passive resistance campaign that had been developed by Mahatma Gandhi. Within the liberation movement however, there was a burning debate on Pan Africanism versus African nationalism on the one hand, and passive resistance versus armed resistance on the other.

Role in South Africa's leaving the Commonwealth of Nations

This event also played a substantial role in forcing South Africa out of the Commonwealth of Nations, which is a contested topic to this day, largely because it was seen by the Afrikaner people as vindication for their treatment in the British concentration camps during the Second Anglo-Boer War.

See also

• History of South Africa

References

Donate to Wikimedia