On 21 March 1960, residents of the South African township of Sharpeville gathered to protest against oppressive pass laws that forced Black, Indian, and Coloured South Africans to carry documents specifying their permitted locations. Among the protesters was Abraham Mofokeng, a 20-year-old factory worker at the time. Mofokeng, now 86, recalls the peaceful atmosphere before tragedy struck as police opened fire on the crowd without warning.
The Sharpeville Massacre
The protest, organized by the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), was one of many nationwide. Mofokeng described the day as bright and sunny, saying, "The weather was very nice, the sun was out. You could not have suspected that the day would go so horribly." Tragically, at least 91 people were killed and 238 injured in what became known as the Sharpeville massacre. Mofokeng himself was shot in the back, with a bullet still lodged in his spine.
Legal Action for Justice
Mofokeng is now one of three claimants suing the South African government for compensation related to the massacre. This case, filed on Thursday, is part of a broader wave of litigation seeking justice for apartheid-era crimes amid growing disillusionment with the African National Congress (ANC) government, which has struggled to address racial inequality and poverty in South Africa since the end of apartheid over three decades ago.
