Despite earlier calls for unity between political parties to mark the 65th anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre, the Gauteng provincial government was forced to abandon its commemoration event after PAC members stormed the venue.
The army of PAC adherents arrived at Sharpeville Human Rights Precinct shortly after Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi, the province's Education and Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation MEC Matome Chiloane, the mayors of the Sedibeng and Emfuleni district and local municipalities, Lerato Maloka and Sipho Radebe, respectively, had laid their wreaths at the memorial.
Proceedings were about to move to the relatives of the victims of the massacre laying their wreaths on each area set aside to represent each of the 69 victims.
However, PAC members stormed the main entrance of the memorial facility, which was opened by late former president Nelson Mandela in 2002, bulldozing their way through the handful of police officers and security detail checking attendees' accreditation.
In no time, Lesufi, Chiloane, Maloka, Radebe and other dignitaries were escorted out of the venue and the throngs of PAC supporters took over the precinct and held a mini rally.
African Congress for Transformation (ACT) leader and ex-ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, and Build One South Africa's (Bosa's) Mmusi Maimane and Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster addressed the gathering alongside the PAC leadership, including its president Mzwanele Nyhontso, who is also Land Reform and Rural Development minister.
The provincial government's commemoration moved to the nearby George Thabe, where Lesufi delivered the keynote address.
Earlier, different political parties including the PAC, ActionSA, Bosa, and ACT joined victims' families at the Pelindaba Cemetery to mark 65 years since apartheid security forces fired into a crowd of Sharpeville residents protesting against apartheid pass laws and killed dozens.
Nyhontso said the martyrs had united political parties and described March 21 as the day late PAC founder Robert Sobukwe made by leading the anti-dompas laws in 1960.
Lesufi promised that his government was going to work together with other political parties at the commemoration, respect each other, and show that they can do things together.
"The people that are lying here united us, it’s up to us that we work together and fulfil the mission that they died for. They didn’t die in vain, they died for change, they died for a better country that we live in and we will never, never betray them because betrayal is not an option. Selling out is not an option, there must be no one who must sell out the soul of our people sleeping here," he said.
ActionSA Gauteng chairperson Funzela Ngobeni paid tribute to the 69 people, including children young as 12 and 13, who died during the massacre and the nearly 200 seriously injured.
Ngobeni described the commemoration of Sharpeville Day as a timely reminder of what needs to be done.
"Mine is just to thank the PAC, year after year they come and unite us around this place. Year after year, we put our differences aside (and) we come here and remember what we lost in 1960," he explained.
Ngobeni continued: "The PAC leadership, I want to thank you, for every year opening your door, opening your hearts to welcome us from different political parties to remember our heroes and heroines who are lying here today."
He said those who are in government at all levels should be brought to places like Sharpeville to be reminded of their responsibilities that they still have of delivering quality services and lives to the people of South Africa and the troubled Sedibeng District Municipality, in particular.
Maimane said he was happy that his identity as African is restored due to the work not only of Sobukwe, but also the many who marched on March 21, 1960, so that "nobody can tell us who we are but ourselves".
Magashule said there have been attempts to erase March 21 as Sharpeville Day. According to the former Free State premier, there were similar attempts to erase Sobukwe’s history as the post-1994 government has failed to rename significant places such as streets, hospitals and airports.
”They want to forget about the people who actually never sold out,” he said.