Human Rights Day? The internet wants to remember it as #SharpevilleDay
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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.
It’s only fair if we can rename #HumanRightsDay to #SharpevilleDay @GovernmentZA https://t.co/aauESe2aSe
— #Friendzoned🔥 #pablo_escobar🌪 (@Rei_tee_cee) March 21, 2019
Tomorrow I am not celebrating # humanrights ya MAKAKA. I'm commentating #sharpevilleday.. pic.twitter.com/ef5Pa5thT1
— Ts'abi Khabby (@Oabs_) March 20, 2019
As we continue to obliterate our country’s history to please the few; be aware that today we pay homage to those who lost their lives in the #SharpevilleMassacre. Ma2000 please rename our history in your future #SharpevilleDay. Remember December 16 as #DingaansDay & its relevance
— Nêô M Matsunyane (@Nosferatu17) March 21, 2019
One of the reasons I believe we don't get over the past in SA is that we don't deal with it for what it was. It's actually a painful form of erasure of sacrife of the many unnamed heroes of our democracy. Tomorrow should be #SharpevilleDay
— Makonde (@_intore) March 20, 2019
Remember, it is not #HumanRightsDay it is #SharpevilleMassacreDay #SharpevilleDay #SharpevilleMassacre pic.twitter.com/oPa3pCXn6F
— Edwin (@edwinmkm) March 21, 2019
They call it #HumanRightsDay because they trying to hide what they did to our people #SharpevilleDay hai lo doti we #HumanRightsDay
— Zuluboyfriend (@Im_Pacho) March 21, 2019
Today might be termed #HumanRightsDay but it's a day we remember the blood of our brothers and sisters killed by the ruthless regime whose agenda was never to see black people as worthy & deserving of human dignity accorded to whites #SharpevilleDay #sharpevillemassacre 🖤💚💛 pic.twitter.com/h4iZHxY2Ym
— Her Excellency, The President 🇿🇦 (@AneleMda) March 21, 2019
Deciding to overlook the significance of a day and try change the narrative to fit you, is a huge blow to the efforts made by our people in the past. It's time the real story is told. Our children need to know what happened. #SharpevilleDay
— Ntando PZ Mbatha (@nthandz09) March 21, 2019
It's NOT #HumanRightsDay but #SharpevilleDay
— Tumelo Mapaa (@DjNewSouthAfric) March 21, 2019
In SA, for every tragic that has happened to blacks, there are two separate parallel accounts of realities that exists. One is the real account and the other account accommodates racists & allow them to feel accepted by our society
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Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.