Remembering Sharpville

A massacre on the streets
69 unarmed
people killed.
Mowed down by police.
Automatic weapons
fired into the crowd.
Women and children died.
A peaceful protest
against the inhumane pass laws.
The dompas*

In Sharpville
many shot in the back
when the crowd dispersed.
Thousands arrested.
The world watched.
Anti-apartheid sentiment grew.
Your sacrifice was not in vain.
57 years have passed.
We remember you.
We mourn you.
We grieve for those you left behind
who bear the scars of injustice.
Rest in Peace

*The “Dompas” otherwise known as the dumb pass or reference book;

The pass laws act of 1952 required all black South African men and women to carry reference books containing their personal details. The law stated that anyone found in a public area without their book would be arrested and detained for 30 days.

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