On march 21, 1960, south african police fired into a crowd of black protesters who had surrounded a police station in sharpeville, killing 69 and injuring an estimated 180 people. The year 2010 marked the fiftieth anniversary of one of apartheid south africas most infamous atrocities. The sharpeville massacre also brought international condemnation on south africa, including a united nations resolution. The sharpeville massacre, as the event has become known, marked the start of armed resistance in south africa, and prompted worldwide condemnation of south africas apartheid policies.
Mar 21, 2012 the sharpeville massacre also brought international condemnation on south africa, including a united nations resolution. I will say something about the actual event itself, and offer some thoughts on its wider significance and. The savage massacre of african patriots at sharpeville and other places in south africa on 21 march 1960 is of paramount significance in the struggle against apartheid and needs to be understood in its historical scope. Created in the 1940s to house vereenigings black population in preparation for the institution of the group areas act, one of the tenets of apartheid that enforced segregation of the races, sharpeville. The sharpeville massacre aroused outrage against the south african government and worldwide support, awareness and sympathy for the antiapartheid activism in south africa increased. Seven out of ten shot in the back at sharpeville archive, 4.
Sharpeville was much more than a single tragic event. The confrontation occurred in the township of sharpeville, in what is now gauteng province. The massacre of people in sharpeville turned the tide again for the antiapartheid movement, which initiated strikes and work stoppages. The peaceful protest at sharpeville against the pass laws was organised by the pan africanist congress pac and met by. Sharpeville massacre, its consequences, and history research question. The south african police opened fire on the crowd, killing. Relying on fascinating archival testimonies of demonstrators but little from the police lodge explains that the protests had been organized by the pan. For the resistance movements it marked the change from nonviolent to violent protest.
The sharpeville massacre, 1960 exhibit divestment for. Sharpeville massacre survivors have bemoaned a lack of change and development to their community, despite the sacrifices the township had to endure. May 12, 2011 the sharpeville massacre, as the event has become known, marked the start of armed resistance in south africa, and prompted worldwide condemnation of south africas apartheid policies. That notorious episode, bequeathed to history as the sharpeville massacre, is the subject of.
The sharpeville massacre sparked protests, riots and violence across south africa. On the 21st march around 10am a crowd of about 5000 gathered in sharpeville. Sharpeville township and the sharpeville memorial vaal. The events at sharpeville deeply affected the attitudes of both. Dismayed by the actions of the south african government, many countries boycotted the importation of south african goods and labour organisations refused to. Archives remembering the sharpeville massacre the mail. Tsoana nhlapo, who represents an organisation called sharpeville first, speaks for the younger generation descendants of those who witnessed the sharpeville massacre. The sharpeville massacre was an event which occurred on 21 march 1960, at the police station in the south african township of sharpeville in transvaal today part of gauteng. A total of 69 people were killed including 8 women and 10 children, and 180 people were injured, including 31 women and 19 children. Dozens killed in sharpeville originally published on 22 march 1960 mon 22 mar 2010. Bbc news south africas sharpeville recalls 1960 massacre. In the black township of sharpeville, near johannesburg, south africa, afrikaner police open fire on a group of unarmed black south african demonstrators, killing 69 people and wounding 180 in. Pdf over the past two centuries, the police have perpetrated massacres in response to protest action in.
The sharpeville massacre in the 1960s was a turning point in south african history. Sharpeville massacre simple english wikipedia, the free. Perhaps it takes a horror like the slaughter at sharpeville to bring home to the. The enforcement of pass laws and the reissue of laws that restricted the. Download premium images you cant get anywhere else. On march 21, 1960, police in sharpeville, south africa, shot hundreds of people protesting laws that restricted the movement of blacks. That impact is best broken down into its shortterm, mediumterm, and longterm significance. The massacre received international condemnation and changed the tone of the antiapartheid movement. I will argue that the massacre created a major shortterm crisis for the apartheid state, a crisis which appeared to. A surgeon gave evidence at a judicial inquiry following the fatal shooting of protestors by police in a south african. The police perceived this as the crowd starting to get hostile, and as they were already apprehensive from an earlier protest getting out of hand and due to the unsuccessful attempts at. Sharpeville massacre essay example topics and well written.
But it is only in recent years, under the boer regime of stubborn, stiffnecked prime minister hendrik verwoerd, that the passbook has become almost a physical shackle. In sharpeville, tom lodge explains how and why the massacre occurred, looking at the social and political background to the events of march 1960 as well as the. The politics of the sharpeville massacre and soweto uprising. As demonstrators gathered, the police opened fire on the unarmed crowd, killing 69 protesters and injuring 180. Liberation however was still far off as the people of sharpeville were to discover. In the following days 77 africans, many of whom were still in hospital, were arrested for questioning most were later released. South africans remember the sharpeville massacre that occurred on march 21 1960. Foundation remembers sharpeville massacre victims nelson. Find highquality sharpeville stock photos and editorial news pictures from getty images. Download file to see previous pages although this event in itself acted as a turning point in the struggle of black south africans towards restoring dignity, but there were certain events which happened before sharpeville massacre that caused widespread frustration and resentment in the black african community.
It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in south africa. The events at sharpeville deeply affected the attitudes of both black and white in south africa and provided a major stimulus to the development of an. Sharpeville massacre was turning point in antiapartheid. Seven out of ten shot in the back at sharpeville archive, 1960 4 may 1960. Sharpeville, home to 26,000 blacks within the larger town of vereeniging, located south of johannesburg, seemed an unlikely setting for a watershed moment in the history of apartheid resistance.
She is pushing for the township to be recognised as a national heritage site, for an apology from the state for what happened here and, as in many other poor areas in south. Sixtynine protesters died, and the massacre became an iconic moment in the struggle against apartheid. The peaceful protest at sharpeville against the pass laws was organised by the pan africanist congress pac and met by shooting by the police. Following the sharpeville massacre, as it came to be known, the death toll rose to 69 and the number of injuries to 180.
The sharpeville massacre of 20 march 1960 signalled the start of armed resistance in south africa, and prompted worldwide condemnation of south africas apartheid policies. Rating is available when the video has been rented. May 04, 2017 seven out of ten shot in the back at sharpeville archive, 1960 4 may 1960. The sharpeville massacre was when a crowd of between 5,0007,000 black people protested at the police station in sharpeville, south africa on march 21, 1960. Sharpeville is much more than the site of a massacre article kwanele sosibo 19 mar 2020 tsepo gumbis photographs bring a more complex view of a place that has been so singularly defined as to.
The windhoek massacre, as it came to be called, preceded sharpeville in. Sharpeville massacre graves, phelindaba cemetery, sharpeville, vereenegining, south africa. This report aims to begin to fill the lacuna in this part of south african history by examining the reasons behind the dearth of political action and organisation in sharpeville from its formation through to the early 1980s. 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. For a century and a half, blacks in the union of south africa have had to carry passbooks. An editorial in the march 22 new york times asked, do the south africans really think that the rest of the world will ignore such a massacre. Mar 19, 2020 in the black township of sharpeville, near johannesburg, south africa, afrikaner police open fire on a group of unarmed black south african demonstrators, killing 69 people and wounding 180 in a. The sharpeville massacre, as the event has become known, signaled the start of armed resistance in south africa, and prompted worldwide condemnation of south africas apartheid policies. It marked the start of armed resistance, rather than peaceful resistance, towards the apartheid government on the part of the anc, which was banned shortly after the massacre.
It had wide ramifications and a significant impact. Use the following documents to help you explore the events of the sharpeville massacre. The sharpeville massacre occurred as a result of an organized effort by the african national congress and pan africanist congress to protest against pass laws. More than 30 years after the sharpeville massacre, south africas truth and reconciliation commission found that the police had deliberately fired on an unarmed crowd. On march 30, 1960, the apartheid government declared the countrys first state of emergency and on april 8, 1960, banned the pac and the african national congress. Because it epitomized oppression and the nature of society.
Sharpeville marked unquestionably a turning point in the struggle for liberation in azania. Mar 21, 2010 tsoana nhlapo, who represents an organisation called sharpeville first, speaks for the younger generation descendants of those who witnessed the sharpeville massacre. Long walk to freedom movie clip sharpeville massacre 20 idris elba movie hd nelson mandelas life story is told in this adaptation of the south african leaders autobiography that. At the same time about 4000 people from nearby townships marched to vanderijl park police station. 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. Mar 21, 2012 on march 21, 1960, south african police fired into a crowd of black protesters who had surrounded a police station in sharpeville, killing 69 and injuring an estimated 180 people. Reconciliation and revenge in postapartheid south africa core. The massacre at sharpeville was a turning point because from that point onwards the white state geared itself for total mobilisation to smash the liberation movement. South africans mark 55 years since one of the worst apartheidera mass killings, but other atrocities still forgotten. After a day of demonstrations against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000 protesters went to the police station. On 21 march 1960 at the township of sharpeville, vereeniging, the south african police opened fire on a crowd of nonviolent protesters and. You should also consider what the cause and effects of this event were. Sharpeville is the best known of the six townships located in the vaal region of south africa. The sharpeville massacre, as the event has become known, signaled the start of armed resistance in south africa, and prompted worldwide condemnation of.
All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the. After a day of demonstrations against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000. The sharpeville massacre, as the event has become known, signalled the start of armed resistance in south africa, and prompted worldwide condemnation of south africas apartheid policies. Before the massacre, white officials considered sharpeville a small, insignificant, and even a model black township. The 1960 sharpeville massacre was the result of a peaceful protest regarding racist south african policies of apartheid. An apartheid massacre and its consequences african. Sharpeville massacre, sharpeville, south africa, 1960.
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