Founding member and president of the Pan Africanist Congress, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for incitement of Blacks to urge the repeal of pass laws. Sobukwe led a peaceful Black march to Orlando police station in Soweto on 21 March 1960, the same day a similar protest took place in Sharpeville, to hand over their passes to police officers, thereby deliberately courting arrest.

The South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) was founded in Windhoek, South West Africa (presently Namibia) on 19 April 1960 by Herman Toivo Ya Toivo. The party was originally formed to advocated immediate Namibian independence from South Africa and became the country's leading party following independence in 1990. SWAPO, led by one of its co-founders Sam Nujoma, began attacking the South African regime. It was essentially a military organisation, using guerrilla tactics to fight the South African forces.

Long before the inception of apartheid "Coloured" people in South Africa occupied this precarious position between White and Black South Africans. This position was intensified during apartheid by the creation of a separate identity, reinforced by the various apartheid laws that strived to keep racial groups apart. Some of these laws included the Mixed Marriages Act, the Immorality Act and the Group Areas Act. Though not aimed exclusively at "Coloureds", this legislation served to entrench a separate identity even further.

Location: back to this day in history search archive The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in South Africa, with Thabana Ntlenyana the highest peak in the country at 3,482 mt. The Drakensberg also consists of various parts, including the Amphitheatre and pinnacle rocks such as the Devil's Tooth. Until 1950, the Devil's Tooth was considered unclimbable, but on 11 August 1950 E. Scholes, D. Bell and P. Campbell formed a 'summit team' and completed the first successful summiting of the Devil's Tooth, still considered on of the 'Berg's toughest rock challenges.

In 1950 the apartheid government introduced the Unlawful Organisations Act and the Suppression of Communism Act. In March 1950 the African National Congress (Transvaal), the Communist Party of South Africa, the Indian Congress and the African People Organisation organised a "Freedom of Speech Convention" in Johannesburg. The Convention was called to protest the Suppression of Communism bill and a ban imposed on Dr. Dadoo and Sam Khan prohibiting them from speaking in certain cities. 500 delegates attended the Convention and 10.000 people attended the rally afterwards.

James M. Thaele, radical politician, journalist, teacher and co-founder of the African National Congress (ANC) branch in Cape Town, died in Cape Town. He was born in Basutoland (Lesotho) in 1888. Thaele lost his ANC Western Cape leadership position to A.V. Coto in the 1938 provincial election.

A week long strike by African mineworkers, led by John Beaver (JB) Marks, leader of the African Mineworkers' Union, started on this day. The strike was initiated by the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), which was active in distributing pamphlets and other material related to the strike. About 60 000 miners went on strike. Government suppressed the strike by force. According to official figures, nine were killed and 1 248 injured. Fifty-one persons, mainly Communists, were later charged in connection with the strike. They included three Indians, Dr Yusuf Dadoo, J.N. Singh and M.J. Vania.

Speaking at a prayer meeting in New Delhi, Mahatma Karamchand Gandhi called on the South African government to stop the hooliganism by Whites. The authorities warned the Passive Resisters to vacate the Volksrust camp. The Attorney-General for Natal, W. J. McKenzie, appealed to the Europeans not to interfere. Violence against the Resisters stopped only on 24 June when the Smuts government took action after wide protests.

At the annual conference of the African National Congress (ANC) held in Bloemfontein, the document the African's Claim in South Africa, presented by the Atlantic Charter committee which was appointed by ANC president Dr A.B. Xuma, was unanimously adopted. The committee was mandated to study the Atlantic Charter and draft the Bill of Rights.

About 10 000 Afrikaner women, led by Mrs H.C. Steyn, wife of former President M.T. Steyn, marched to the Union Buildings to protest about the South African involvement in World War 2 on the side of Britain. Mrs H.E.C. Armstrong, one of the organisers, wrote a letter to Prime Minister J.C. Smuts, in which she set out the reasons for the protest. A further 3 968 women sent telegrams to Smuts, while 3 829 signed petitions, which were handed to him.