The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation held a commemoration for the 66th anniversary of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, where police fired on protesters against pass laws, killing at least 69 people. Speakers highlighted new evidence suggesting a higher death toll and ongoing struggles against racism.
On 15 March, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation organised a commemoration titled “Remembering The Sharpeville Massacre 66 years on” at Phelindaba Cemetery and the Sharpeville Memorial in Sharpeville, near Vereeniging, Gauteng. The event marked the 21 March 1960 incident, when police opened fire on peaceful protesters outside the Sharpeville police station opposing pass laws. Most victims were shot in the back while fleeing. The official death toll stands at 69, with 180 injured, though recent evidence indicates it may exceed this figure, possibly reaching 95 according to researchers tracing documentation, autopsies, and mortuary records featured in the 2025 documentary Free at Last: Unresolved Stories of Apartheid screened at the Sharpeville Human Rights Precinct. “This is what hatred and racism does to people,” said Rethabile Ratsomo, programme manager at the foundation. Executive director Neeshan Balton noted the event's role in exposing apartheid atrocities globally and addressed claims of 'white genocide,' stating no equivalent exists. Tsoana Nhlapo, CEO of the Sharpeville Foundation, emphasised that victims' lives were taken, including a 12-year-old, and they were murdered, not sacrificed. Margaret Mbhele, 70, laid flowers for her mother Norah Nobhekisizwe Mbhele, killed at 23, sharing her annual grief as part of the Khulumani Support Group. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi described Sharpeville as a reminder that freedom was not free, detailing apartheid's impacts like forced removals and segregation. She affirmed commitment to prosecuting apartheid crimes via TRC recommendations, with 11 inquests opened and six concluded. Kubayi urged submitting new evidence for closure and stressed non-discrimination per the Constitution, ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
