Resistance to Apartheid and Government Reaction 1960-61 Flashcards
(17 cards)
Population of Sharpeville
37,000 blacks, 40% under 18
Additional 10,000 from Group Areas Act and migrant workers from Lesotho
When and what did the new police station do?
New police station in 1959, raided shebeens and deported illegal residents
PAC influence prior
PAC was represented by the Tsolo brothers, who supported women pass protest and recruited youth gangs.
Only 100 members but confident
Events of Sharpeville Massacre
5,000 to 20,000 people around police station peacefully, police overwhelmed couldn’t arrest
400 police officers, 200 white with 303 rifles, 200 black with wooden clubs
- police back-ups led by Lieutenant Colonel Pienaar
How many killed and why it started?
A drunken protester shot upwards and at the same time a police officer collapsed.
69 killed, 200 wounded, 70% shot in the back
Who was to blame? Reasons for high tension?
- Police on edge due to a police officer killed in Cato Manor 1959
- 5 hour stand-off on hot day
- Leader, Nyakane Tsolo arrested
- Police were indecisive and poor instructions
- Police requested crowd to go into a nearby football field which many though would become a killing field.
Response by whites
Increase demand for firearm
David Pratt shot twice at Verwoerd but he survived
ARM, liberal party military wing focused on violence and bombings
Response by authorities with state of emergency and banning ANC and PAC
30 April State of Emergency declared, 10,000 arrests but 2,000 in the first few days.
Unlawful Organisations Act made ANC and PAC illegal.
Immigration and foreign currency figures
1960-63 emigration exceeded immigration
- Whites leaving to UK rose from 2,000 (1959) to 5,000(1962)
Share prices fell
Foreign currency dropped from R312 mil to R153 mil
Who was minister for justice?
John Vorster, a hardline Transvaaler.
Sabotage Act
1962
- Sabotage punishment is death penalty
- Upon the accused to prove themselves innocent
General Laws Amendment Act
1963
- could imprison anyone without a lawyer for 90 days and renew it
Sobukwe Clause
- could keep anyone beyond their sentence, first one sobukwe
What were the increased police powers?
- New police unit that was prepared to carry out assasinations of opposition
- Network of spies created infiltrate the opposition
- 1963, a new police radio network linking 1000 police stations with HQ in Pretoria
Bantu Laws Amendment Act
1965
Allowed authorities to deport any African from a white area
Gave police full power to remove people
What did the Wessels Commission of Enquiry do?
Investigated the Sharpeville Massacre
Decided that the police acted indecisive but they acted in self-defence
International Reaction to Sharpeville
Security Council 134 condemned Apartheid and blamed it for the shootings
- Major countries still reluctant to join as they supported South Africa
