1960: The Sharpeville Massacre:
Unit 1: Formation of the PAC
In the 1950’s, people continued to resist apartheid, but still without violence
Protests were met with repression - banning, arrests, stricter laws and police violence
‘Africanist’ members of the ANC decided to break away, and on 6 April 1959, the Pan-
Africanist Congress (PAC) was formed
Robert Sobukwe was the 1st president of the PAC
This organisation believed that the struggle against apartheid was an African struggle
They didn’t want to work with organisations which weren’t African
They especially didn’t want to work with white organisations like the Congress of
Democrats
The PAC wasn’t racist, but believed that white people had too much to lose to be reliable
allies
The PAC colours were, like the ANC’s, black, green and yellow - green symbolised the
youth and vitality of the continent of Africa, yellow the wealth and black the colour of its
people
Unit 2: Causes and Leaders of the Sharpeville Massacre
The causes of the events leading to the Sharpeville Massacre
In 1958, nearly one and a half million Africans were being convicted under the pass laws
every year
Officially, the pass was called a ‘reference book’
It was commonly called the dompas - the Afrikaans word for ‘stupid pass’
The pass book was meant to show that Africans were temporary travellers in ‘white South
Africa’
The pass had to be carried at all ties and every black person had to produce it instantly on
the demand of a policeman
If a black adult didn’t have the pass available, they were instantly arrested, prosecuted
and fined or jailed
Leaders of the anti-pass demonstrations on 21 March 1960
In 1960, 2 of the political organisations resisting apartheid, the ANC and PAC, organised
the anti-pass campaign
The PAC organised a demonstration on Monday, 21 March 1960
The PAC believed in taking ‘positive action’ against pass laws
They planned to lead large crowds of people to the local police stations
Men and women would leave their passes at home and demand arrest
This would make the system unable to operate, as mass arrests would clog up the courts
and jails with thousands of people
This is passive protests
Unit 3: Events of the Sharpeville Massacre on 21 March 1960
On 21 March 1960, a large crowd gathered outside the Sharpeville police station
They demanded to hand in their passes and to be arrested
The police opened fire on the crowd and at the end of the day, 69 people were killed and
180 were wounded
Most of those killed had been shot in the back as they tried to flee
Unit 4: Causes, Leaders and Events of the Langa March
Philip Kgosana was a PAC member from Pretoria
He was a student at the University of Capet Town in 1959
There weren’t any boarding facilities for black students on the campus
He went to look for accommodation in Langa where he met local PAC members who
shared his political views
He failed his first year at university but continued his political activity in Langa
After the Sharpeville Massacre on 21 March, tensions were mounting in the Cape Town
African townships of Nyanga and Langa
An African Workers’ strike brought Cape Town industry to a standstill
Many PAC and ANC leaders were arrested
The police attempted to bring the strike to an end by breaking into houses in the
townships, beating people, and shooting at those who tried to escape
In response to this brutality, a Cape Town march was organised
Philip Kgosana was 23 when he led a peaceful march of 30 000 people from Langa to the
centre of Cape Town on 30 March
, In Cape Town, he met with the apartheid police chief
Eye-witnesses said that the crowd was well-controlled an peaceful
They march in total silences
The police chief promised to set up a meeting with Kgosana and the Minister of Justice, on
condition that the marches returned home
Philip Kgosana convinced the crowd to walk home
When he arrived at the meeting with the Minister of Justice, he was arrested
At the end of 1960, while Kgosana was awaiting trial, he was allowed out on temporary bail
to go visit his family for Christmas
He used this as an opportunity to flee the country and began a life of exile
Unit 5.1: Short-term consequences
The Sharpeville Massacre and the Langa March of 1960 were to become a turning point in
the history of apartheid
Repression in apartheid South Africa increased
The government declared a State of Emergency to crack down on its opponents
It then hurriedly passed a new law called the Unlawful Organisations Act
This law banned the 2 main resistance organisations - the ANC and the PAC
Resistance to apartheid changed from passive resistance to violent resistance
Many people began to feel it was useless for the ANC and the PAC to continue using non-
violence against a government that responded by attacking unarmed people
The ANC and PAC both formed armed wings, and continued their work underground and
illegally
Some members of the ANC and PAC left the country, to continue the struggle in exile
The armed movement in the ANC was known as the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) or the
‘Spear of the Nation’ and was led by Nelson Mandela
Between 1961 and 1963, MK attacked over 200 non-human targets throughout South
Africa
The targets included government buildings and other property, like electric pylons
Care was taken not to cause loss of life, but in the Eastern Cape some people who were
co-operating with the Bantustan leaders in the Transkei, were killed
Robert Sobukwe, the leaders of the PAC was arrested after Sharpeville, and given a three-
year jail sentence
The PAC formed an armed wing called Poqo
It embarked on a violent sabotage campaign
Unlike MK, Poqo made no effort to avoid loss of lives
Most of the PAC leaders were arrested and jailed, while others went into exile
Poqo members were soon rounded up
Many were put on Robben Island, while others were executed by hanging
International pressure against apartheid increased
Newspapers all over the world reported the Sharpeville Massacre which publicised the
brutal nature of the apartheid system
A nationwide month of boycotting South African goods was arranged in 1960, in protest
against the policies of apartheid
Thousands gathered at Trafalgar Square to start the boycott and condemn the racial
discrimination
Some banners read “Apartheid is Fascism” and “Apartheid is murder”
Unit 5.2: Longer-term consequences
The General Law Amendment Act 1963
The apartheid government introduced the General Law Amendment Act of 1963 which
allowed the police to detain people for 90 days without charging them and without
allowing them to access a lawyer
At the end of that period, the police could re-arrest and re-detain for a further 90 days
Detainees were often held in solitary confinement
The arrest of MK leaders 1963
The secret headquarters of MK were at a farm called Lilliesleaf, in a Johannesburg suburb
called Rivonia
The leadership of MK used a house on the farm as a hiding place and as shelter
They also attended meetings here, and debated the political and military policy and tactics
In June 1963, the Lilliesleaf Farm was raided by police
Some of the leaders of MK who were at the farm, were arrested
Unit 1: Formation of the PAC
In the 1950’s, people continued to resist apartheid, but still without violence
Protests were met with repression - banning, arrests, stricter laws and police violence
‘Africanist’ members of the ANC decided to break away, and on 6 April 1959, the Pan-
Africanist Congress (PAC) was formed
Robert Sobukwe was the 1st president of the PAC
This organisation believed that the struggle against apartheid was an African struggle
They didn’t want to work with organisations which weren’t African
They especially didn’t want to work with white organisations like the Congress of
Democrats
The PAC wasn’t racist, but believed that white people had too much to lose to be reliable
allies
The PAC colours were, like the ANC’s, black, green and yellow - green symbolised the
youth and vitality of the continent of Africa, yellow the wealth and black the colour of its
people
Unit 2: Causes and Leaders of the Sharpeville Massacre
The causes of the events leading to the Sharpeville Massacre
In 1958, nearly one and a half million Africans were being convicted under the pass laws
every year
Officially, the pass was called a ‘reference book’
It was commonly called the dompas - the Afrikaans word for ‘stupid pass’
The pass book was meant to show that Africans were temporary travellers in ‘white South
Africa’
The pass had to be carried at all ties and every black person had to produce it instantly on
the demand of a policeman
If a black adult didn’t have the pass available, they were instantly arrested, prosecuted
and fined or jailed
Leaders of the anti-pass demonstrations on 21 March 1960
In 1960, 2 of the political organisations resisting apartheid, the ANC and PAC, organised
the anti-pass campaign
The PAC organised a demonstration on Monday, 21 March 1960
The PAC believed in taking ‘positive action’ against pass laws
They planned to lead large crowds of people to the local police stations
Men and women would leave their passes at home and demand arrest
This would make the system unable to operate, as mass arrests would clog up the courts
and jails with thousands of people
This is passive protests
Unit 3: Events of the Sharpeville Massacre on 21 March 1960
On 21 March 1960, a large crowd gathered outside the Sharpeville police station
They demanded to hand in their passes and to be arrested
The police opened fire on the crowd and at the end of the day, 69 people were killed and
180 were wounded
Most of those killed had been shot in the back as they tried to flee
Unit 4: Causes, Leaders and Events of the Langa March
Philip Kgosana was a PAC member from Pretoria
He was a student at the University of Capet Town in 1959
There weren’t any boarding facilities for black students on the campus
He went to look for accommodation in Langa where he met local PAC members who
shared his political views
He failed his first year at university but continued his political activity in Langa
After the Sharpeville Massacre on 21 March, tensions were mounting in the Cape Town
African townships of Nyanga and Langa
An African Workers’ strike brought Cape Town industry to a standstill
Many PAC and ANC leaders were arrested
The police attempted to bring the strike to an end by breaking into houses in the
townships, beating people, and shooting at those who tried to escape
In response to this brutality, a Cape Town march was organised
Philip Kgosana was 23 when he led a peaceful march of 30 000 people from Langa to the
centre of Cape Town on 30 March
, In Cape Town, he met with the apartheid police chief
Eye-witnesses said that the crowd was well-controlled an peaceful
They march in total silences
The police chief promised to set up a meeting with Kgosana and the Minister of Justice, on
condition that the marches returned home
Philip Kgosana convinced the crowd to walk home
When he arrived at the meeting with the Minister of Justice, he was arrested
At the end of 1960, while Kgosana was awaiting trial, he was allowed out on temporary bail
to go visit his family for Christmas
He used this as an opportunity to flee the country and began a life of exile
Unit 5.1: Short-term consequences
The Sharpeville Massacre and the Langa March of 1960 were to become a turning point in
the history of apartheid
Repression in apartheid South Africa increased
The government declared a State of Emergency to crack down on its opponents
It then hurriedly passed a new law called the Unlawful Organisations Act
This law banned the 2 main resistance organisations - the ANC and the PAC
Resistance to apartheid changed from passive resistance to violent resistance
Many people began to feel it was useless for the ANC and the PAC to continue using non-
violence against a government that responded by attacking unarmed people
The ANC and PAC both formed armed wings, and continued their work underground and
illegally
Some members of the ANC and PAC left the country, to continue the struggle in exile
The armed movement in the ANC was known as the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) or the
‘Spear of the Nation’ and was led by Nelson Mandela
Between 1961 and 1963, MK attacked over 200 non-human targets throughout South
Africa
The targets included government buildings and other property, like electric pylons
Care was taken not to cause loss of life, but in the Eastern Cape some people who were
co-operating with the Bantustan leaders in the Transkei, were killed
Robert Sobukwe, the leaders of the PAC was arrested after Sharpeville, and given a three-
year jail sentence
The PAC formed an armed wing called Poqo
It embarked on a violent sabotage campaign
Unlike MK, Poqo made no effort to avoid loss of lives
Most of the PAC leaders were arrested and jailed, while others went into exile
Poqo members were soon rounded up
Many were put on Robben Island, while others were executed by hanging
International pressure against apartheid increased
Newspapers all over the world reported the Sharpeville Massacre which publicised the
brutal nature of the apartheid system
A nationwide month of boycotting South African goods was arranged in 1960, in protest
against the policies of apartheid
Thousands gathered at Trafalgar Square to start the boycott and condemn the racial
discrimination
Some banners read “Apartheid is Fascism” and “Apartheid is murder”
Unit 5.2: Longer-term consequences
The General Law Amendment Act 1963
The apartheid government introduced the General Law Amendment Act of 1963 which
allowed the police to detain people for 90 days without charging them and without
allowing them to access a lawyer
At the end of that period, the police could re-arrest and re-detain for a further 90 days
Detainees were often held in solitary confinement
The arrest of MK leaders 1963
The secret headquarters of MK were at a farm called Lilliesleaf, in a Johannesburg suburb
called Rivonia
The leadership of MK used a house on the farm as a hiding place and as shelter
They also attended meetings here, and debated the political and military policy and tactics
In June 1963, the Lilliesleaf Farm was raided by police
Some of the leaders of MK who were at the farm, were arrested
