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Sedibeng District Municipality
MUNICIPAL NEWS
Sedibeng District Municipality
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The district on the river
Positioned in one of the most strategic and valuable real estates in South Africa, Sedibeng District Municipality is the geographical envy of municipalities in the country. To place Sedibeng in perspective it shares the borders with three provinces, Free State, Northwest and Mpumalanga and it has a welldeveloped national road network that connects Sedibeng to all provinces. It is the only District Municipality that is on the banks of the Vaal River and Vaal dam and has one of the richest cultural/ heritage and political histories in South Africa.
It comprises the local municipalities of Emfuleni, Lesedi and Midvaal. Significantly the historical rich cultural, heritage and political towns of Everton, Boipatong, Sharpeville and Ratanda have become the bedrock of the thriving
Sharpeville Monument
communities that are to be found within the borders of the Sedibeng District Municipality.
The names of these towns are edged in the memory banks of most South Africans as they are synonymous with the Mass Democratic Movement that played a major role in dismantling apartheid. Sedibeng District Municipality is one of the most unique district municipalities in South Africa as it provides a delectable blend of an industrial environment with serene, tranquil recreational spaces culminating in nostalgia, evidenced by the culture, heritage and political history. Significantly, Sedibeng District Municipality is the fourth largest contributor to the Gauteng GDP. Sharpeville Sharpeville was established in 1935 during the mayorship of John Sharpe who hailed from Scotland. The town was originally named Sharpe Native Township but was renamed Sharpeville in 1950.
The town of Sharpeville carries the mantle of the birth of the human rights movement, not only in South Africa but globally. In South Africa, Sharpeville became the unlikely site of struggle for freedom and human rights, as it was there on that fateful day of 21 March 1960 that 69 peaceful protesters paid the ultimate price in their quest to regain their human dignity. The Sharpeville Massacre
The Sharpeville Massacre ushered in the Defiance Campaign and the Mass Democratic Movement with the objective to intensify the fight against the apartheid regime. The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) orchestrated a national campaign to put an end to the dreaded “pass law”.
This law obligated all blacks in South Africa to carry a pass-book that recorded their restricted movements to a demarcated area. Should they need to leave the area they would have to get permission to do so.
Furthermore, if a person could not produce the pass-book on demand they were arrested. This was a dehumanising law and was regarded as an abhorrent instrument that debased the dignity of the black population.
The plan was for black communities throughout South Africa to march in a peaceful and non-violent manner to the local police stations and “surrender” themselves to the police, as they would not subject themselves to the indignity of carrying the pass-book any longer.
The founder and president of the PAC, Robert Sobukwe who was described as a visionary with unique leadership qualities masterminded this campaign. He led with integrity, devotion and great personal sacrifice. His ethos was “serve, suffer and sacrifice”. His life epitomised this ethos as he resigned his position as university professor to lead this non-violent march on 21 March 1960.
However, while leading the march he was arrested and detained. This did not deter the crowd that swelled to 20 000 and they continued the march to the police station to carry out their objective. At the police station the police opened fire on the peaceful and non-violent crowd and 69 people were massacred and about 200 sustained injuries.
This caused a huge outcry of anger and disgust sparking riots and strikes throughout the country. This horrific event triggered the intensification for the fight for freedom and human rights and an end to the apartheid regime. The Sharpeville Massacre jolted the international community to take action. A Commission of Human Rights to develop the convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination was established by the United Nations and the first Human Rights Treaty was adopted on the 21 December 1965 as a result of the massacre. 21 March is a public holiday in South Africa and is commemorated as Human Rights Day.
