What was the reason for the Sharpeville protest?
The demonstrators were protesting against the South African government’s restriction of nonwhite travel. In the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, protests broke out in Cape Town, and more than 10,000 people were arrested before government troops restored order.
What specifically were people protesting in Sharpeville in 1960?
On March 21, 1960, police officers in a black township in South Africa opened fire on a group of people peacefully protesting oppressive pass laws, killing 69. The anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre is remembered the world over every March 21 on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
What happened at the Sharpeville protest?
Sharpeville massacre, (March 21, 1960), incident in the Black township of Sharpeville, near Vereeniging, South Africa, in which police fired on a crowd of Black people, killing or wounding some 250 of them. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa.
What happened during the protest in Sharpeville Langa and Nyanga?
On 21 March 1985, on the 25th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, members of the South African Police opened fire on a crowd of people gathered on Maduna Road between Uitenhage and Langa township in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
How is Sharpeville commemorated today?
Today in South Africa we commemorate the Sharpeville massacre as Human Rights Day. Globally, the day is observed as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
What happened in Sharpeville in 1960 why is it a significant point in the struggle?
The Sharpeville Massacre, which occurred on March 21, 1960, in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa, was the incident that to that point resulted in the deaths of the largest number of South Africans in a protest against apartheid. It also came to symbolize that struggle.
How did Soweto uprising start?
massive uprising known as the Soweto Rebellion, which began as a protest against the government’s insistence that the Afrikaans language be used as the medium of instruction in Soweto’s high schools. Years of violence and repression followed.
What ultimately happened to kgosana after the march?
He died of cancer on 19 April 2017. A section of the M3 expressway into Cape Town was renamed Philip Kgosana Drive in his honour, as this formed part of his 1960 march.
How Human Right Day is being commemorated?
Human Rights Day will be celebrated on 21 March 2021 in the Eastern Cape in the form of a virtual event. The history of Human Rights Day is grounded in the Sharpeville Massacre that took place on 21 March 1960, where the apartheid police shot and killed 69 people during a peaceful protest.
How many people were killed at Human Rights Day?
69 people died
Human Rights Day in South Africa is historically linked with 21 March 1960, and the events of Sharpeville. On that day 69 people died and 180 were wounded when police fired on a peaceful crowd that had gathered in protest against the Pass laws.