In 1913 the first mass action by African and Coloured women was initiated in the Free State. This marked the beginning of the rivalry over responsibility for organizing the march. The Sharpeville incident was the largest single-day massacre in apartheid South Africa up until the Soweto Youth uprising and massacre on June 16, 1976. those found to be in Vereeniging illegally because they were not in formal employment, risked being forced back to the rural areas. . The role of the Vereeniging Town Council. Even more important than strict policing, Sharpeville, like all other townships created by the NP government, was made to pay for the cost of its upkeep. Anfangs war das Revier mit weniger als 20 Beamten besetzt, später wurden zahlreiche Polizisten zur Verstärkung herangeholt, so dass die Zahl etwa 300 betrug. These families settled in the only accommodation in the area offered to Africans, namely; Top Location, and later, Sharpeville. Their plan was to encourage people to go to police stations without their passes, in order to fill the Sharpeville jail with arrested resisters. The document came into force in February 1997. This subtopic will examine the role of the Vereeniging Town Council as well as the role of local industries in the decade and half immediately after World War II as a factor in the explanation of the Sharpeville Protest. The anti-pass campaign was organised at both local and national level, and there were areas where the ingredients for mass action were in place. However, little of the literature focuses on background explanations as to how developments within Sharpeville led to the confrontation between police and anti-pass demonstrators on that fateful day. On 30 March, the government declared a State of Emergency. Those who died protesting the apartheid pass laws were remembered. The peaceful protest at Sharpeville against the pass laws was organised by the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and met by … Examples of these include the first passive resistance campaign initiated by the Indian community in the Transvaal, led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, in 1906. The party was devoted to apartheid and white supremacy, maintained through a collection of policies, including the pass laws. Pass laws required that Africans had to carry identity documents with them at all times. By 6 May, the total number of people arrested because of the protest had grown to 18,000. This came to be known as the ‘Sharpeville Massacre.’. It has come! Significant reshaping of international law is often the result of momentous occurrences, mos… President, Mr. R.M. On Monday, 21st March 1960, we launch our positive, decisive campaign against the pass laws in this country.” – Mangaliso Sobukwe, three days before Sharpeville. The Native Laws Amendment Act of 1952 was used as a mechanism to distribute... A climate of protest. If police caught a black African in public without one of these booklets, the police could arrest and fine the individual. a) Had been born there and had lived there ever since. The ‘Dompas’, Pass Laws and the Sharpeville Massacre When the Nationalist Party came into power in South Africa in 1948, the government legalised segregation by enforcing a series of laws that gave them control over the movement of people of colour. 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. After a day of demonstrations against pass laws, a crowd of about 5,000 to 7,000 protesters went to the police station. In 1960 South Africa was under the rule of the National Party, which was imposing harsh, demeaning laws on black South Africans. Around noon that day, 30,000 black South Africans marched into Cape Town and demanded to see the Minister of Justice. The Sharpeville Massacre in the 1960s was a turning point in South African history. Transgressors of location regulations, i.e. Therefore, the social and economic development of Vereeniging towards the end of the 1950s, particularly the administration of its African Township, is significant in the Vereeniging Town Council's role in the events of 21 March 1960. These included low wages and high rents in the townships. Protest against these humiliating laws fueled the anti-apartheid struggle - from the Defiance Campaign (1952-54), the massive women's protest in Pretoria (1956), to burning of passes at the police station in Sharpeville where 69 protesters were massacred (1960). But members say that the campaign will begin 'shortly - within a … The despised pass laws were eventually repealed in 1986 under the leadership of the late state president Pieter Willem (PW) Botha. However, because their first action did not occur until after this campaign they do not appear in this narrative. d) Signed a contract to migrate from a rural reserve to a specific job for a limited period of time in an urban area after which they must return home. A Black person caught without a pass, unless given permission by a white authority, would be arrested. Sharpeville Black township, n of Vereeniging, South Africa, scene of a massacre by security forces in March 1960. 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 more than 200. They were deprived of racial equality with the whites. South Africa had started a new phase in her history. The reasons cited by many sources for this split are that the PAC advocated for approaches that were contrary to the non-racial orientation of the ANC and that members were frustrated by its moderation, expressed in the Freedom Charter in 1955. If police caught a black African in public without one of these booklets, the police could arrest and fine the individual. Sixty-nine people were killed and another 180 were wounded in what came to be known as the Sharpeville Massacre. Sharpeville massacre, (March 21, 1960), incident in the black township of Sharpeville, near Vereeniging, South Africa, in which police fired on a crowd of blacks, killing or wounding some 250 of them.It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa.. The 1910s saw significant opposition to pass laws being applied to black women. Shortly after 1pm the crowd pushed over a police officer, reportedly by accident. They feel Sharpeville Day would be more appropriate. This campaign had its origins in the call made by the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) in 1957, and followed up as an ongoing campaign in 1959 dubbed the anti-poverty campaign. The Vereeniging Town Council decided to apply the 'Sophiatown solution' to Top Location. In 1918 the workers' strike around the issue of passes took place, and pass-burning campaigns were organised in the 1930s by the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) and various trade unions. 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. Around 11:00 am the police started arresting the demonstrators. A few hours later 300 police officers and 5,000 protesters had gathered at the scene. The Native Laws Amendment Act of 1952 was used as a mechanism to distribute African labour in such a way that White commercial agriculture was guaranteed adequate supplies of labour despite increasing levels of impoverishment in the countryside. In response to the Sharpeville Massacre the ANC also developed a wing devoted to violent resistance called "Spear of the Nation" in English. Through a series of mass actions, the ANC planned to launch a nationwide anti-pass campaign on 31 March 1960 the anniversary of the 1919 anti-pass campaign. On 28 March, the ANC began a stay-at-home protest and strike to call attention to the Sharpeville Massacre. Sharpeville massacre, incident in the Black township of Sharpeville, near Vereeniging, South Africa, on March 21 1960, in which police fired on a crowd of Black people, killing or wounding some 250 of them. Accessed 29 April 2013. Sharpeville residents had to play hide and seek with the authorities, many unsuccessfully, getting arrested and forced to return to farms where their labour was only required during the harvesting season. In the context of the 1950s, when the homeland system was only evolving, this could have entailed repatriation of these Africans to areas closer to White commercial farms where they could be easily available as seasonal labour when they were needed. The party was made up entirely of white people, mostly the descendants of Dutch immigrants. Police arrested over 2,000 people. The Sharpeville massacre itself is well documented. Robert Sobukwe (PAC)and Chief Albert Luthuli. These designs are reflected in the government's most elaborate piece of legislation intended to regulate the numbers of Africans entering urban areas, the Native Laws Amendment Act of 1952 (see info block). At this conference, it was announced that the PAC would launch its own anti-pass campaign. According to Section 10 (1a-d) of the 1954 Native Urban Areas Act Africans could only stay in an urban area for more than 12 hours if they: women's march to the Union Buildings in August 1956. The issuing of passes was one of the cornerstones of the colonial and later racial capitalism in South Africa. Eric Naki. Black Africans had made previous attempts to abolish the pass laws, but none had been successful. Registered users can login to the website. Download this stock image: The Sharpeville massacre, 21 March 1960, in the South African township of Sharpeville in Transvaal. Contract workers' families were not allowed to join them in an urban area. The Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), a splinter group of the African National Congress Pass Laws and Sharpeville Massacre Role of local industries. On 21st March 1960, a protest was organized by Robert Sobukwe and the PAC. This campaign was over, amongst other things, the carrying of passes. The Pan Africanist Congress will shortly launch a nationwide campaign for the total abolition of the pass laws. [See in this database, “South Africans disobey apartheid laws (Defiance of Unjust Laws Campaign,) 1952-1953”).] Shortly after this, the United Nations General Assembly began to pressure the new government to put an end to apartheid. The 'colour bar', or job reservation for Whites, also meant that Blacks were excluded from better paying jobs, and largely restricted to low-wage occupations. Planning the 1960 anti-pass campaigns: ANC and PAC. The protest at Sharpeville not only occurred because of the pass laws but also because according to Wikipedia (2013) and History (2013), the Government used these pass laws to harass and arrest their political opponents. These discriminatory regulations fueled growing discontent from the black population. Sharpville Massacre 1100 Words | 5 Pages. Those gunned down in Sharpeville, a township south of Johannesburg, were not the only ones who died on March 21,1960 protesting “ pass laws ” … It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. 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. Further campaigns were launched, implicitly or explicitly against apartheid. By the end of 1959 all residents of Top Location had been relocated to Sharpeville where they were subjected to stricter controls. The decision lies with the P.A.C. Am 21. For example, Durban's Cato Manor, Cape Town's Langa and, until five years earlier, Johannesburg's Sophiatown were potentially hotbeds of dissent. Low wages were the norm, reinforced by the fact that Black trade unions were not legally recognised and could not negotiate with employers. The lives of residents of African townships elsewhere in the Union were regulated through the application of the provisions of Section 10 (1) of the Native Laws Amendment Act of 1952, Sharpeville was no different. Beyond this campaign the PAC and ANC continued to exist, but remained illegal, and most of their leaders were in prison. The campaign of resistance to the pass laws ended in September. c) Were the child or wife of a man permitted to live in the urban area on the conditions of (a) or (b) mentioned above. The pass laws remained until the fall of South African apartheid in 1986. A large gathering of local people demonstrating against the pass laws failed to obey orders to disperse. The South African Police opened fire on the crowd, killing 69 people and injuring 180 others. Over time, apartheid repression became even worse. One of the younger officers panicked and opened fire on the crowd, and several others followed suit. The police opened fire on the protesters during the first protest. On 5 October, fifty-two percent of white South Africans voted in favour of an Independent Republic that would no longer be a part of the British Commonwealth; this did not change apartheid laws in any way. Pass laws in South Africa were met with fierce resistance during the 20th century. On the morning of 21 March 1960, the PAC leaders gathered near the Sharpeville police station and started walking toward it while singing songs about freedom. Sharpeville massacre survivors feel betrayed by government . In 1960 the African National Congress (ANC) decided to launch a campaign to rid South Africa of these laws. In his examination of circumstances leading to the massacre that takes into account local developments during the 1950s, Chaskalson argues that "throughout the 1950s Sharpeville was recognised across the country as the model African township, and the Council was able to censor almost all local African political activity" (Chaskalson, 1986). Early in 1960 both the ANC and PAC embarked on a feverish drive to prepare their members and Black communities for the proposed nationwide campaigns. Resistance to the pass laws intensified during the 1950s, and various protests took place. This was done through charging rentals considered exorbitant when taking into account the families' incomes. The Sharpeville massacre aroused outrage against the South African government and worldwide support, awareness and sympathy for the anti-apartheid activism in South Africa increased. African Students Association (ASA), African Students Association (ASA), African Students Union of South Africa (ASUSA)., African Students Union of South Africa (ASUSA). In the early 1950s, Vereeniging's only Black Township, Top Location, was modelled along the same lines as Sophiatown and was also notoriously difficult to police. Calls for Sharpeville Day Political parties commemorating the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre in the Vaal have objected to the day being known as Human Rights day. The police were waiting for them, and at first did not allow the protesters into the station. For the resistance movements it marked the change from non-violent to violent protest. According to Section 10 (1a-d) of the 1954 Native Urban Areas Act Africans could only stay in an urban area for more than 12 hours if they: The police opened fire, killing 67 people and wounding 186. The aim of the protest was to express opposition against the pass-laws for Black Africans, which required them to carry a pass at all times due to their race. Black Africans had made previous … Sharpeville survivors say continued inequality is a betrayal of those who … Black South Africans resist pass laws and mount general strike (Sharpeville Massacre), 1960, 008. Some accounts of the Sharpeville Massacre stated that a police officer was shoved, but taking into account the size of the crowd it is difficult to tell whether this was an accident or not. Soon afterwards, the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) announced that they would also work towards this goal. The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960, at the police station in the South African township of Sharpeville in Transvaal (today part of Gauteng).. After a day of demonstrations against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000 protesters went to the police station.The South African Police opened fire on the crowd, killing 69 people and injuring 180 others. The pass and the resistance against the carrying of the pass became an issue around which the liberation movements mounted their campaigns. On 6 April, the police once again started enforcing the pass laws. The Sharpeville massacre of 21 March 1960 - the 50 th anniversary of which was commemorated in the past week - brought notoriety to the National Party government of premier Hendrik Verwoerd and elevated the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) to the status of a major anti-apartheid resistance movement overnight.. The Sharpeville massacre was an event that was era-defining of the apartheid regime in South Africa. SACTU had become a member of the Congress Alliance in 1957. However, besides the pass laws, the Sharpeville demonstrations were meant to highlight other grievances. These books had to contain stamps providing official proof that that the person in question had permission to be in a town at that time. Yet it was Sharpeville and the events of the 21st March that came to represent the struggle of Black people against the unjust system of apartheid. Passes were used to control the movement of African, Coloured and Indian people, ensuring the provision of a cheap labour source and enforcing the segregation of South African's along racial lines. Sharpeville: a source of inspiration and rededication The reverence of the African people for this Day grows from the fact that the political campaign launched to attack a fundamental cornerstone of apartheid colonialism, i.e., the pass laws, brought them far closer to the seizure of political power than anything attempted before. To highlight their opposition to the passes, protesters started publicly burning them in bonfires. Sharpeville massacre was turning point in anti-apartheid movement On March 21, 1960, 3,000 black South Africans gathered to protest one of the … In response to this growth and increased employment opportunities, thousands of African families from the immediate rural hinterland, dominated by White commercial agriculture, inevitably found their way into Vereeniging, Transvaal (now Gauteng). One of the insights was that international law does not change, unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. "Sharpeville Massacre: 21 March 1960." Source for information on Sharpeville: World Encyclopedia dictionary. Sobukwe. Finally, the ejection of the unemployed considered in excess of the requirements of the town's labour needs had the potential to create dissent against the town council. This movement had a significant bearing on the NP government's designs for all urban areas across South Africa. Pass laws have been resisted in several significant instances. By 27 March, the police had announced the temporary suspension of pass laws because the jails could not hold any more people. Also, they were exploited off from their land. Today Sharpeville is also remembered as the place where former president Nelson Mandela signed the new Constitution in December 1996. Others involved in the strike, which started on 28 March, had returned to work. The Sharpeville Massacre occurred in a South Africa that denied the rights and freedoms of anyone who was not considered “white” under a system called “apartheid.”. The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960, at the police station in the South African township of Sharpeville in Transvaal. Sections 10 (1) (a), (b), (c), and (d) were enforced in such a way that only Africans in long term, regular and somewhat permanent employment were allowed to reside in urban areas. More proactive opposition to discrimination became necessary after the National Party (NP) came to power in 1948, and racial segregation and discrimination was intensified through the implementation of the policy of 'apartheid' or separate development. These two industries experienced rapid growth in the immediate aftermath of World War II and continued growing into the 1950s and 1960s. Pass laws required all black Africans to carry a small booklet containing personal information and a history of employment. The Chief of Security promised to grant them an audience and the crowd dispersed, but there was no meeting. The 1960 Sharpeville Massacre was the result of a peaceful protest regarding racist South African policies of apartheid. The critical question, often ignored in the literature on the event is, "Why was it in Sharpeville as opposed to anywhere else in the Union that the PAC's campaign received its strongest response, a question that can only be answered by examining the local history that led up to the shootings" (Chaskalson, 1986). The exact date on which the campaign will start is still unknown. The government also banned the ANC and the PAC, but this did little to lower membership. Apartheid and the pass system. On 21 March 1960, the South African Police opened fire on a crowd of black African protesters demonstrating against pass laws at the Sharpeville police station, killing 69 and injuring 180 people in what became known as the Sharpeville Massacre. b) Had worked there for ten years under one employer, or had lived there for 15 years without breaking any law (including pas laws) These included protests by the African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) in 1950, and the women's march to the Union Buildings in August 1956, which is now commemorated each year as Women's Day. The State of Emergency was lifted on 31 August, but 10,500 people remained in jails. SHARPEVILLE MASSACRE 1960 On the 21 March 1960 between 5000 and 7000 black south africans had gathered at the Sharpeville police station to protest against the pass laws, which required them to always carry a reference book with them, which contained various personal details. Sharpeville became famous in history for a violent collision, with loss of life, that occurred on March 21, 1960, between black protestors and members of the South African Police during a protest campaign against pass laws led by the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). Pass laws required that Africans had to carry identity documents with them at all times. On 22 March, PAC announced that Robert Sobukwe, the president of the PAC, and 130 other members had been arrested. [See in this database: “Durban, South Africa, workers mass strike for a raise in wages, 1973,” and “South African blacks boycott apartheid in Port Elizabeth, 1985-86.”]. South African History Online. At the annual conference of the African National Congress (ANC) held in Durban on 16 December 1959, the President General of the ANC, Chief Albert Luthuli, announced that 1960 was going to be the 'Year of the Pass'. Published March 2011. Civil disobedience of "illegitimate" laws, Opponent, Opponent Responses, and Violence, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. The party was devoted to apartheid and white supremacy, maintained through a collection of policies, including the pass laws. März 1960 zogen in Sharpeville zwischen 5.000 und 7.000 Schwarze gegen 10 Uhr ohne Pass auf ein Polizeirevier zu, um sich inhaftieren zu lassen, darunter hochrangige PAC-Funktionäre. The PAC and ANC continued to exist, but remained illegal, and most of their leaders were in prison. On March 21, an estimated 7,000 Africans gathered in front of the Sharpeville police station to protest against the restrictive pass laws. Sharpeville Massacre Marks Apartheid's Turning Point. The Global Nonviolent Action Database is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license unless otherwise noted. In addition to the grievance about passes, the ANC promoted what became known as the one pound a day campaign. These were the circumstances that many residents of Sharpeville were faced with when the march against passes was proposed in 1959. The 1960 Sharpeville Massacre – How it Began and What it Meant "This is the call the African people have been waiting for! Day (21 March, the date of the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960) During the Apartheid era in South Africa, black people were oppressed beyond humane standards. A week after the ANC's 1959 annual conference, a breakaway group from the ANC, formed the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) at a conference held in Johannesburg. The Global Nonviolent Action Database is a project of Swarthmore College, including the Peace and Conflict Studies Program, the Peace Collection, and the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility. In this climate residents of Sharpeville did not hesitate to respond energetically when the march against passes was proposed in 1959.
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