American Committee on Africa

164 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10016

! CALL TO COMMEMORATE THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

~~ __
RC__
H __
21: __
TH__
E ANNIVERSARY __
OF __
TH__
E SHARPEVILLE MASSACRE __
IN ~S=oU~T~H AFRICA

Background: March 21, the anniversary of the Shar-·peville Massacre, has become a
symbol to the world of the blind tragedy of racism o It ~as on this day in 1960
that 69 Africans, while conducting a non-violent demonstration, were killed en
masse by South African Government forces. People had gathered, as they had in
years past, to protest against a Government and a system which denies them human,
civil and political rights under the guise of apartheido The March 21 demonstra-
tion was focusad specifically against the Pass Law=, South African legislation which
is the Gove~nrr.ent!s tool to control the movement, residence, and occupations of
Africans by requiring them to carry at all times on their persons a pass or "refer-
ence" book. WithGut this pass, an African is subject to arrest, fines and imprison-
mento l In response to the call by 2 yeung nationalist group, the Pan Africanist
Congress, mAn and women alike left their pass books at home and joined in front of
South African polica stations to demand arrest for contravention of the Pass Laws.
At Sharpeville, an African "location" (ghetto) south of Johannesburg g men, women
and children came in the thousands to defy the pass system and the Police State.
The Government responded by mobilizing Saracen (n~mored) tanks, armed police and
security forcesn

An eyewitness account reveals the unfolding tragedy:

They Lihe African cro~ seemed amiable 0 Then the shooting

0 0 n

started, We heard the chatter of a machine gun! then another, then

anothero There ~ere hundreds of women, some of them laughing. They
must have thought the police were firing blanks. One women was hit
about ten yards from our car, Her companion, a young man, went back
when she fello He thought she had stumbJed. Then he turned her over
and saw her chest had been shot away • • • • Hundreds of kids were
running, too n One little boy had on an old black coat, which he
held up behind his head r thinking, perhaps, that it might save him
from the bullets. 0 n
• One of the policemen was standing on top of
a Saracen, and it looked as though he was firiny his sten gun into
the crowd. He was swinging it around in a wide arc from his hip as
though he were panning a movie camera. • . Most of the bodies
0

were strewn in the road. , •

AC~Jrding to one account, the shooting lastad only 40 secondso 705 rounds were
fired, and obviously not above the crowd~ Why such brutality? The eyewitness cen-
tinues~

The police have claimed they were in desperate danger because the
crowd was stoning them Yet only three policemen were reported to
3

have been hit by stones -~ and more than 200 Africans were shot down.
• • • The police ha~3 also said that the crowd was armed with "fero-
cious weapons" • • • I saw no weapons~ " • While I was there I saw
0

only shoes, hats and a few bicycles left among the bodies. (Africa TOday,
May, 1960)0

lIn the first six mo,ths of 1966 South Africa's Minister of Justice revealed that
44,798 men and 3,490 women were arrested and charged with failing to have the prope~
identity documents; practically the same number were charged with being in a pre-
scribed area for more than 72 hrs. without permissiono A Survey of Race Relations
in South Africa, S.A~ Inst. of Race Relations, 1966 0
 (2)

180 Africans were wounded; 69 slaughtered, 8 of whom were women and 10 children,
In other South African towns ·that day, there ware other shootings, and over a
thousand Africans were arrested. Yet still the massive anti-pass demonstrations
continued until April, 1960.

"Let us not labour under the illusion that Sharpeville was something new," a
South African has said, "for fifty years the rule of white governments in South
Africa has been a rule of violence."l And he aske, "How many more Sharpevilles
can the country stand without violence and terror becoming the order of the day?"
Although such overt mass protests on the part of South Africans have been
stamped out, Sharpevilles occur each day in South Africa; each day people are
persecuted for standing up against the racist system. And as a natural evolu-
tion from this process, African leaders have become convinced that only violence
will liberate their country.

Sharpeville represents human tragedies and triumphs: the brutality of the apartheid
system based on the undenied assertion of white supremacy supported by force; the
courage of people within the Police State to constantly challenge and organize
against it; and the one-time innocence of a protest whose results alarmed the
conscience of the world into what should have been the not so startling realiza-
tion that racialism kills. Sharpeville also marks a time when some believed
that positive change was imminent in South Africa. During the early 1960's the
country underwent a severe financial crisis due to a lack of business confidence
resulting from the instability caused by the political and social disruptions.
But some international and American financiers did not lose confidence in apartheid
in fact loans and credit arrangements from the International Monetary fund, the
World Bank, first National City Bank, and others put the South African economy
back on its feet and thereby drained away the potential effect of the political
disturbances. 2

UNITED NATIONS APPEAL fOR ACTIONI for all of these reasons the world community
at the United Nations has chosen March 21 as the International Day for the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The General Assembly, in a resolution
passed on Dec. 13, 1967, has specifically requested" all States to commemorate,
during the International Year for Human Rights, 21 March, 1968 • • • with appro-
priate solemnity, in solidarity with the oppressed people of South Africa."

~arch 21, 1968 should be a day when individuals and groups throughout the United
States and elsewhere commemorate the Sharpeville massacre, and it should be a
day of determination to strive for the elimination of racial discrimination. The
U.N. Special Committee on the Policies of Apartheid of the Government of South
Africa has appealed, in a statement on Jan. 12, 1968, for all States and organ-
izations to "utilize the occasion to the maximum to promote a wide awareness of
the situation in South Africa and to marshall the support of peoples everywhere
in the campaign against racial discrimination and apartheid. 1I Ambassador Achkar
Marof, Chairman of the Special Committee, has emphasized that on March 21, " it
is not enough to remember and mourn the victims of racism. Indeed, it will not
be honest to mourn, unless we are prepared to pledge in all sincerity to make
all efforts to eradicate the cancer of racism in South Africa and everywhere in
the world."

The appeal has been made to you to act on March 21.

lAddress by Gladstone Ntlabati, "South Africa five Years After Sharpeville,"

National Conference, American Committee on Africa, March 21, 1965.
~frica Today, January, 1966.
 (3)

PROGRAM SUGGESTIONS: In order to commemorate March 21 each group or individual

should create a program to fit with the needs and resources of the specific
community. Possible events could include;

1. A public meeting including speeches, panels and fund-raising appeals in order

to focus the attention of the community on racialism, particularly in southern
Africa. Concern might be devoted to United Nations activities related to South
Africa, South west Africa, Rhodesia and the Portuguese territories. Speakers
should be available at nearby universities and colleges where there are faculty
members familiar with African Affairs, and students from Africa. For additional
lists of speakers, inquire of the American Committee on Africa. In the New York
metropolitan area U.N. personnel and delegates from African nations will be
available for speaking engagements. For information on the U.N. and southern
Africa, write: Chief of Section for African Questions, Room 3580, United Nations,
New York, 10017.

2. A special fund-raising collection in the community at a mass meeting, or

a special offering at a church/synagogue service near the March 21 date. Funds
should be sent to the Africa Defense and Aid Fund of the ACOA which aids south-
ern African political prisoners and their dependents, provides defense for the
victims of southern African repression, and gives assistance to refugees and
the opponents of racism. More information about the Fund is available upon
request.

3. If your organization is unable to plan a special meeting, consider dis-

tributing literature on southern Africa and the Africa Defense and Aid Fund.
Contact both the American Committee and the United Nations.

4. A demonstration or rally at South African consulates in New York, New Orleans

or San Francisco, or in front of American institutions and businesses which
provide support to southern African regimes.

If you or your organization is involved in education or action related to

southern Africa, and in particular i f you hold an event on March 21, please
inform both the American Committee and the Special Committee on Apartheid
(Mr. E.S. Reddy, Room 3580, United Nations, N.Y.) of your activities. Send
us clippings, too, if your commemoration is publicized.
* * * * * * * 2/15/68
Please return to American Committee on Africa, 164 Madison Ave., New York, N.V.

______ We plan to join in commemorating March 21.

Please send me literature on southern Africa (number of copies: )

(indicate the type of lit. you would like, i.e. on South Africa, South
West Africa, Rhodesia. A list of available material will be sent on request.

---- Please send lit. on the Africa Defense & Aid Fund.(# of copies: )

NAME: ORGANIZATION:

ADDRESS: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CITY STATE ZIP