PRESS STATEMENT
NO EMBARGO
21 March 2025
Al Jama-ah Commemorates Human Rights Day /Sharpeville Day as a Call to Global Action:
Today, on Human Rights Day or Sharpeville Day, South Africa remembers the tragic events of the Sharpeville Massacre, where 69 unarmed anti-dompass protesters were brutally killed by the apartheid regime in 1960.
We remember the sacrifices made by one of the political parties that came from the liberation movement, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania under the leadership of Robert Sobukwe who was also the youth leader of the Africanist National Congress.
Police opened fire on the peaceful protesters killing 69 of whom most were shot in the back, and wounded more than 300. Several were arrested and held in Dimbaza near King Williams Town where they served their sentences in isolation.
This day, etched in our history, serves as a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made in the struggle against colonialism, for freedom, justice and dignity. While we pause to reflect on our journey towards democracy and equality, we must also cast our gaze beyond our borders and recognise that human rights violations persist on a global scale. These violations, whether in Palestine, Kashmir, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continue to violate the lives and dignity of millions and it is imperative that we, as a nation, use our voice to speak out against such injustices.
As South Africans, we are no strangers to the painful realities of human rights abuses. Our own history of colonialism, apartheid and racial oppression has left us with a deep understanding of the importance of safeguarding fundamental human rights for all!
“The PAC is now a representative in the Government of National Unity (GNU) and they are responsible for the very reason of their formation, which is to give the land back to the disposed people. We must remember these sacrifices and understand the challenges regarding the expropriation of land which belonged to the dispossessed people. Expropriation must take place with no compensation. This tragic event should be commemorated by all political parties and South Africans,” says President of Al Jama-ah, Hon Ganief Hendricks.
On 30 March a week after the Sharpeville Massacre, Phillip Kgosana led a 50 000 strong anti-dompass march by protestors from Langa and Nyanga to the police headquarters at Caledon Square in Cape to hand themselves over for arrests for not carrying the dompass.
The young Kgosana dressed in short pants, left from the District Six house of Hendricks parents to join the march. He was looking for Dr Archie Mafeje, whom Hendricks’ mother deployed outside Cape Town to prevent him from being killed by the apartheid police.
“Phillip was disappointed for not finding Dr Mafeje at our house as the latter brought a letter from the chiefs supporting the armed struggle. He wanted Dr Mafeje to address the crowd. I was 11 years old at the time and Kgosana was 18 and I had to make him breakfast, and ensure that he join the march from our house in Rochester Road which linked into De Waal Drive, now known as Phillip Kgosana Drive. Months before the Langa march, Kgosana often visited our home to meet with Dr Mafeje,” says Hendricks.
Al Jama-ah believes that the Sharpeville Massacre is not just a memory of what we have overcome, but a call to action to continue the fight for justice, peace and equality
Issued by Asghar Khan on behalf of Al Jama-ah
For media enquiries contact:
Nisa Hendricks (Media and Marketing Manager)
Cell: 082 613 1917