"Let us honour the memory of those who died in Sharpeville and other racist incidents by redoubling our efforts to eradicate all forms of racism and racial discrimination. Let us translate good intentions into legal standards and the will to uphold them. Above all, let us cherish the rich diversity of humankind and respect the inherent dignity and equality of every human being."

- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

March 21 is designated by the United Nations (UN) as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It’s a day observed all around the world to focus attention on the problems of racism.

The Sharpeville Massacre

The UN designated March 21 as the International Day for the Elimination of Racism and Racial Discrimination in recognition of the tragic events that took place on March 21, 1960 in Sharpeville, South Africa when 69 peaceful demonstrators were killed and thousands injured. The demonstrators had been protesting the “Dompass laws” outside a police station in Sharpeville when police “opened fire” on the demonstrators. The Dompass or pass laws were key pieces of legislation designed to regulate and severely restrict the movement of blacks in urban “white” areas. These laws were a key feature of South Africa’s system of racial segregation and apartheid.

The protests and mass actions against the pass laws had been organized by two well-known South African liberation parties—the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) and by members of the African National Congress (ANC). Though the ANC and PAC, as well as other parties had  organized resistance against the pass laws for decades;  the ANC called for the year 1960 to be named the “Year of the Pass” and the ANC and PAC organized  nation-wide actions in a campaign for the total abolition of the pass laws.

In the aftermath of the events of March 21 and world-wide condemnation of the actions taken by the South African government, PAC and ANC organized hundreds of thousands of South Africans in massive nation-wide protests and marches. The PAC called for workers to “stay away” and successfully organized the first ever national strike against the pass laws. In response, the South African government declared a state of emergency on 30 March (it lasted until 31 August 1960).  Thousands of Black Africans were arrested and more than 18,000 black strikers were detained. On 8 April the Unlawful Organisations Act (1960) declared both the ANC and PAC illegal, forcing both organizations to go underground and operate from outside South Africa.The Dompass Laws were not repealed in South Africa until 1986.

History of the Dompass Laws

The Pass Laws Act, introduced in 1952, required that all black South African men and women to carry a passbook at all times. The books contained stamps providing official proof that the person in question had received permission to be in the region at the specific time. This meant that black Africans were often forced to carry a range of personal documents with them, including photographs, information about place of birth, employment records, tax payments, and criminal records. Under the terms of the law, any governmental employee could strike out an entry within passbook, basically cancelling  permission to remain in the area.  Moreover, failure to produce the Dompass resulted in arbitrary arrest and detention. 

The Dompass laws also co-existed with other government legislation that entrenched systematic racial segregation in South Africa. One of the more extreme pieces of legislation was the Urban Areas Act which limited blacks to twelve hours in an urban area without permission from a specific municipal officeholder.  Under Section 10 of the Legislation a black South African could only remain in a specific geographical area (designated as a “white” ) if:

• They had been born and lived there ever since;

• Had worked there for 10 years under one employer, or had lived there for 15 years without breaking the law;

• Were the wife or child permitted to live in the area;

• Signed a contract to migrate from a rural reserve to a specific job for a limited period of time.

The Continuing Significance of the Sharpeville Massacre

Proclaiming the International Day for the Elimination of Racism and Racial Discrimination in 1966, the UN General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. The 1966 UN resolution recognized that racism and systems of apartheid are “denials of basic human rights” and constitute “serious barriers to economic and social development.”

In many countries like South Africa, apartheid and overt systems of segregation have been dismantled; but many individuals, communities and societies continue to be subject to racism, social injustice, and inequality. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reminds us of our collective responsibility for promoting and protecting the goals of elimination of these forms social and cultural oppression.