As political parties flocked to Sharpeville, Vereeniging, on Human Rights Day to honour those who lost their lives in the Sharpeville Massacre 59 years ago, ordinary South Africans have taken to social media to call for the name of the national holiday to be changed to reflect the tragedy.
69 protesters were killed by apartheid police in 1960 in Sharpeville while demonstrating against the pass laws imposed by the government. While March 21 was always known as Sharpeville Day, although never celebrated as a national holiday during apartheid, it was decided by the 1994 democratically-elected government that it would be remembered as Human Rights Day instead.
Those commemorating the massacre on Thursday once again called for the holiday to be remembered as Sharpeville Day, and took to social media to make their voices heard.
nonsense! pple were killed everywhere not only in sharpville..
Zulu king Dingaan’s treachery in breaking an agreement resulted in the ambush and massacre of Piet Retief and his Voortrekkers. Do you mourn their deaths too?
Yes.Calling it Human Rights day dilutes and distorts what really transpired on 21 March. Window dresser Maimane has begun to make it sound like it was an accident because thats what his handlers and masters want to hear. A petition for this is the way to go.
It is important for us and generations after us to remember wat happened on 21March1960 pre and post! passlaws peacefulprotest massacre policebrutality robertsobukwe sharpeville apartheid we owe it to those who lost their lives, their families, ourselves lestweforget
Yeah since some of the races don't even recognize us as humans .Why call it human rights day .SharpevilleDay
Next week the same social media will be on something else. It's just people trying to be relevant for a day in my eyes...
I couldn’t agree more.
ga kena nako ya di changes i jst want a better life.
The AFRICAN NATIONAL CRIMINALS = ANC wants to and they have to a greater extent distorted our history to favor their corrupt and criminal activities . The ANC is the worse organization to walk this planet 🌎 We need 1. Sharpvillemassacre day 2. Marikana massacre day
Not impressed at all!
Social media users are entitled and unhappy with bloody well everything.
No problem with that, because 16 December is Day of the Vow
Can it not be both?
I am not having that humanrightsDay shit black people did not die for that...
SharpvilleDay all the way, no more HumanRightsDay SharpevilleMassacre
Any ‘news story’ that starts with “Social media users” is doomed to be the a steaming pile of useless crap, much like what is left from the once respected profession of journalism. In other news, 4 morons on Facebook says the earth is flat....
They can it whatever they want as long as is a holiday