Sharpeville

This was a day full of learning and discovery. Our students have been studying the system of apartheid and the anti-apartheid movement for months and as the bus pulled into Sharpville we all realized we were now driving through the same streets we had been reading about. The differences between Jo'burg and Sharpville were immediately apparent. This community had no Mercedes Benz taxi cabs, or casinos, or night clubs, just hard working, determined, strong people. Their life experience was etched on their faces and woven into their gaits as they strolled the streets and glanced at yet ANOTHER tour bus rolling through their neighborhood. The TOLEDO EXCEL students were more than tourists they had become engaged learners and had great respect for these people and their brave struggle, particularly the victims and survivors of what is known as "The Sharpeville Massacre". On March 21, 1960 69 people were killed by S. African police as they protested the apartheid system which required them to carry passes in order to walk their own streets, and live in their own community. We learned from our tour guides that all the victims were shot from behind as they fled machine gun fire. The tour through the museum and memorial was heartbreaking. Our guides were both born and raised in Sharpeville and their deeply personal reflections added to the experience even more. We learned that no one was spared. Men, women, and children were brutally shot. We also learned that the victim toll of 69 written in most accounts came from a corrupt police force and vastly underestimated the number actually killed. Tears welled in most eyes as we listened to taped audio of Sharpeville mourners weeping and crying out at the mass burial service. The most poignant moment of the trip came when Sammy Spann (Director of UT Camp Adventure) crossed the street to take a picture of the post office and struck up a conversation with an older gentleman who lived in the area. After a few moments he discovered this man was actually a survivor of the massacre. He quickly asked him if he could speak with our group and he graciously agreed. We stood transfixed as he gave an eyewitness account and talked about a pregnant woman standing next to him who one moment was singing a song of protest and the next was shot as she turned to run. He said "I have forgiven, I must forgive, but I will never forget that day. They lied about the number. . . I counted over 200 bodies . . . many were my friends . . . my family." We crowded around him asking questions, snapping pictures, he smiled then and said how happy he was that we had come. He urged us to tell his story and never forget. We never will . . .