65 years later: Sharpeville Massacre shapes South Africa's human rights legacy

SOUTH Africa commemorates Human Rights Day on March 21 every year in honour of the people who died at the hands of the apartheid police on this day in 1960.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre, where the police opened fire at a crowd of protesters who gathered in one voice to express themselves against the pass laws that played an integral role in fuelling segregation by monitoring and controlling the movements of black people.

Former president Nelson Mandela declared March 21 as Human Rights Day, in honour of the heroes and heroines who fell in the struggle for liberation. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his 2024 Human Rights Day commemoration speech that: "We recall how many generations of black South Africans were denied the right to life and dignity, the right to equal treatment, the right to vote and to be heard, the right to live where they want, to work in the trade of their choice, the right to education and health care, the right to the protection of the law."

Speaking as the country remembers Human Rights Day this week, an Economic Freedom Fighters spokesperson, Dumisani Baleni, said: "There is a lot of work that has been done - one example of which is the democracy we have as a country, however, much more work still needs to be done to make sure that the most basic of human rights are honoured."

"People lack houses, water and jobs, there is also a factor of food insecurity where you find too many people not knowing where their next meal is going to come from, which gives birth to the high crime rate and the inequality."

As South Africans gear up to commemorate Human Rights Day on Friday, IOL spoke to citizens to get their thoughts on the country's efforts towards promoting, advancing and protecting human rights.

Bhengu Goodman, 43, a security guard, said: "Today's government is worse, at least people had jobs during the apartheid era, now we don't have jobs, we are subjected to poverty and indignity.

"I remember my uncle telling me that they had jobs to such an extent that they could move from one to the next and even juggle at times, now we struggle to know where our next meal is going to come from."

Lucas Maimela, 79, a retired former Eskom technician, said: "It was a very sad day in the country, spirits were high as people were frustrated and wanted to deal with the issues of the day, the pass laws and the general discrimination, unfortunately, the police opened fire at the protesters and massacred 69 of them and left so many wounded. Those people had families and responsibilities, but the racially oppressive government of the day didn't care."

"Things got better when Nelson Mandela was released from prison and was elected as president."

Muhammad Ravat, 23, an ICT intern, said: "I think we don't have those rights anymore, everybody is doing their own thing, I think our country is failing to enforce and safeguard these rights."