The government proceeded with the introduction of apartheid laws in the 1950s. An example of this was the hated pass law. This forced Black people to carry passes wherever they went. Black resistance against the regime mounted. The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) called for protest marches against the pass laws. The marches, scheduled for 21 March 1960, took place in Langa and Nyanga, Cape Town and Sharpeville, in the Transvaal. At Sharpeville, police opened fire on the demonstrators and killed 69 and wounded over 180 people. In Cape Town about 30 000 Black people marched to Parliament, but dispersed after negotiations with the police.
On 30 March, the government declared a State of Emergency, and 11 727 persons were detained. Subsequently, the government banned the African National Congress (ANC) and the PAC. The organisations were forced to go underground.
Click here to read about Sharpville massacre
Click here to read United Nations documents against Apartheid
References:
Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau http://home.dataparty.no/kristian/oldstuff/wenche/PROJECT1/
