Residents still maintain Sharpeville Massacre death toll higher than official records

By Loyiso Sidimba | Published Mar 23, 2025

Sixty-five years after the Sharpeville Massacre, residents share compelling evidence of uncounted victims while UNESCO's heritage status brings hope for preserving the sanctity of victims' final resting place. Local witnesses and families challenge the official death toll of 69, revealing stories of those who died later from their injuries and unmarked graves that tell a deeper story of that fateful day.