(Dr. Conrad Worrill is the National Chairman
of the National Black United Front (NBUF) located at 12817 South Ashland
Avenue, Flr, 1, Calumet Park, Illinois, 60827, 708-389-9929, Fax# 708-389-9819,
E-mail: nbufchi@allways.net, Web Page: nbufront,org]
One of the tragedies of post apartheid
South Africa is that too much is being forgotten of the numerous atrocities
that occurred during the vicious era of the white supremacist regime, African
people should never forget history. It is in this connection that the National
Black United Front always commemorates the March 21, 1960 Sharpeville Massacre.
African Liberation Movement forces, around
the world, commemorate the Sharpeville Massacre. This will be the 40th
anniversary of this tragic event in South African history.
Just as the African American Community
in this country demonstrated and subjected themselves to arrest in the
South during the 1950's and 1960's to protest racist segregation laws,
African people in the Sharpeville area of South Africa, in 1960, began
organizing to demonstrate against the white supremacist Pass Laws System.
The Pass Law System in South Africa is a method the South African Government
employs to "officially" check on the whereabouts of Black People at all
times. Black people had to carry a document much like a passport that must
be stamped, before they are allowed any movement in the country.
On December 19, 1959, the Pan African Congress/PAC
(a Black conference held at Orlando, Johannesburg), "resolved to embark
upon a campaign directed against the Pass Laws which subject the African
people to humiliation of constant arrest." The African American Community
is familiar with police harassment and brutality. The Pass Law System in
South Africa gives the police unlimited authority in arresting people at
will.
During the week of March 20, 1960, the
Pan African Congress requested permission to hold a public meeting on Sunday.
The request was refused by South African Government officials. The African
Congress decided to launch the Pass Book Campaign on March 21, by holding
a rally and demonstration to protest these vicious laws. Unable to hold
a public meeting, members of the PAC called their members to meet at the
Sharpesville Tennis Court grounds. (Sharpeville is the African location
of Vereeniging.)
According to eyewitness accounts, at about
1:00 a.m., on March 21st, "a great number of people had assembled at the
tennis court where they were addressed on the objects of the campaign and
had explained to them the decision to surrender peacefully to the police
for arrest that day." Further eyewitness accounts explain that, "at 1:30
a.m., a Riot Squad with two security staff cars arrived at the scene of
the meeting. Without endeavoring to anybody what the gathering was about,
the police started shooting from their vehicles into the air to frighten
and disperse the crowd.'
Later that morning, 'a great number of
armed white police invaded the location and while they were ostensibly
patrolling the streets, intimidating people with the obvious intentions
of causing retaliation so that they might be afforded an excuse to carry
out their object of smashing by brutal force the opposition to the Pass
Laws.'
Leaders of the Pan African Congress continued
their planned march to the police station in accordance with their decision
that they were going to surrender themselves for arrest. Hundreds of people
followed the leaders singing t he South African Black National Anthem.
After Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe, the first
National President of PAC, and his aides had been arrested, thousands of
unarmed Africans gathered at the police station in Sharpeville, The white
police fired on the defenseless men, women and children. Sixty Africans
were killed on the spot and 178 were wounded. More than 80 percent of those
shot were shot in the back as they fled. It is because of this incessant
act of violence that we commemorate the Sharpeville Massacre.
It is important that we continue to analyze
and discuss historical events that help us understand the role of history
in the liberation of African people. African People must never forget history!
Remember the Sharpeville Massacre!