Sharpeville massacre — shooting by police on 21 March 1960 in Sharpeville, South Africa
The killing of at least 69 protesters by South African police in 1960 intensified global opposition to apartheid and shaped anti-apartheid activism for decades.
Key Facts
- Date
- 21 March 1960
- Rounds fired by police
- 1,344 rounds
- People killed (police record)
- 69 people
- People killed (recent research)
- at least 91 people
- People injured
- at least 238 people
- Crowd size
- approximately 5,000 people
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Pan-Africanist Congress organised a campaign against apartheid-era pass laws, calling on Black South Africans to leave their pass-books at home and present themselves for arrest. On 21 March 1960, a crowd of approximately 5,000 gathered outside the Sharpeville police station demanding to be arrested, as part of this coordinated act of civil disobedience against the apartheid system.
Without issuing any warning, South African police fired 1,344 rounds into the assembled crowd at 1:30 pm. According to police records, 69 people were killed and 180 injured, including 29 children; more recent research puts the death toll at no fewer than 91 and injuries at no fewer than 238. Many victims were shot in the back as they fled. Photographer Ian Berry documented the scene, initially believing the police were firing blanks.
The massacre prompted widespread international condemnation of South Africa's apartheid regime and galvanised the global anti-apartheid movement. South Africa now observes 21 March as a public holiday commemorating human rights. In 2024 the massacre site and memorial were inscribed as part of the Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site.