Sharpeville timeline

THE Sharpeville massacre was a pivotal moment in 1960, but, as the following timeline shows, it was a portentous year for other reasons. Cato Manor riots in Durban result in the deaths of nine policemen. Rebellion in Pondoland prompts ANC leader Albert Luthuli to warn whites that black resentment is mounting. British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan delivers his ‘wind of change’ speech in parliament. ANC announces that its anti-pass campaign will start at the end of March. Police open fire on Sharpeville protesters, killing 69. Protests spread and armed forces are on alert. Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd tells parliament the riots are not a reaction to apartheid but a “periodic phenomenon”. Pass laws are briefly suspended – until April 6. Oliver Tambo leaves South Africa illegally on instruction of the ANC to continue its work outside the country. Albert Luthuli is detained until August when he is tried, fined £100 and given a six-month suspended sentence. State of emergency is declared in 80 out of 300 magisterial districts. UN Security Council deplores police action in the country and calls for the abandonment of apartheid. Under the Unlawful Organisations Act, the ANC and PAC are banned for a minimum of one year. Only four Native Representatives and members of the new Progressive Party vote against the law. Attempted assassination of Verwoerd at the Rand Easter Show by an allegedly mentally unstable white farmer. First boycotts of South African goods begin in many countries. PAC leader Robert Sobukwe is sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for incitement. He refuses the aid of an attorney or leave to appeal, on the grounds that the court has no jurisdiction over him because it cannot be considered either a court of law or a court of justice. Parliament is told 18 000 people have been detained since the proclamation of the emergency. The emergency is lifted on August 31. Representation of blacks in parliament ends. Whites vote in favour of establishing a republic of South Africa. (Source: Apartheid, An Illustrated History.)