Sharpeville Six
Encyclopedia
The Sharpeville Six were six South Africa
n protesters convicted of the murder of Deputy Mayor of Sharpeville, Kuzwayo Jacob Dlamini, and sentenced to death.
On September 3, 1984, a protest march in Sharpeville turned violent (some of the crowd threw stones at Dlamimi's house, he responded by firing a gun and a riot ensued) in which the Deputy Mayor was murdered. Mojalefa Sefatsa, Theresa Ramashamola, Reid Mokoena, Oupa Diniso, Duma Khumalo
and Francis Don Mokhesi were arrested in the following months, found guilty of murder under the "Common purpose
" doctrine and sentenced to death by hanging
on December 12, 1985. Christian Mokubung and Gideon Mokone were also sentenced to eight years in prison. All were represented by lawyer Prakash Diar.
The convictions were widely condemned by the international community
as unlawful and racist, particularly in United Nations Security Council Resolution 610
and 615
. Two jurists reviewing the case said it was a "crime against humanity
". Within the South African legal community was mixed. A poll by The Star
of eleven law professors showed that five were supportive of the execution, while six were not - of the six who were, four raised the prospect of legal reforms and the remaining two remarked the case "smacks of simple vengenace". One professor was dispatched to London
to defend the South African government's position on the matter. However, at a press conference, he stated he had not read the trial record but insisted that there had been no miscarriage of justice
and "all arguments had been heard".
The following day after Security Council Resolution 610 was adopted, a South African court granted a one month stay of execution. Of the six, only four appealed and the other two indicated they would rather be executed. The appeal was rejected in June 1988, which the Security Council condemned in Resolution 615
; however pressure from abroad finally led to sentences of all six being commuted to 18–25 years in prison by President Pieter Willem Botha
.
With the fall of apartheid, the first members of the Sharpeville Six, Diniso and Khumalo, were released on July 10, 1991, followed by Ramashamola and Mokoena on December 13, 1991 and the final two, Mokhesi and Sefatsa released on September 26, 1992.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n protesters convicted of the murder of Deputy Mayor of Sharpeville, Kuzwayo Jacob Dlamini, and sentenced to death.
On September 3, 1984, a protest march in Sharpeville turned violent (some of the crowd threw stones at Dlamimi's house, he responded by firing a gun and a riot ensued) in which the Deputy Mayor was murdered. Mojalefa Sefatsa, Theresa Ramashamola, Reid Mokoena, Oupa Diniso, Duma Khumalo
Duma Kumalo
Duma Joshua Kumalo was a South African human rights activist and one of the Sharpeville Six. He was condemned to death under the 1984 law of "common purpose", which allowed a person to be convicted for having been in the vicinity of an offence, without personally committing it. In 1988, he...
and Francis Don Mokhesi were arrested in the following months, found guilty of murder under the "Common purpose
Common purpose
The doctrine of common purpose, common design or joint enterprise is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions which imputes criminal liability on the participants to a criminal enterprise for all that results from that enterprise...
" doctrine and sentenced to death by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
on December 12, 1985. Christian Mokubung and Gideon Mokone were also sentenced to eight years in prison. All were represented by lawyer Prakash Diar.
The convictions were widely condemned by the international community
International community
The international community is a term used in international relations to refer to all peoples, cultures and governments of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them...
as unlawful and racist, particularly in United Nations Security Council Resolution 610
United Nations Security Council Resolution 610
United Nations Security Council Resolution 610, adopted unanimously on March 16, 1988, after reaffirming resolutions 503 , 525 , 533 and 547 expressing concern at the imposed death sentences of anti-apartheid activists, the Council noted the deteriorating situation in South Africa...
and 615
United Nations Security Council Resolution 615
In United Nations Security Council Resolution 615, adopted unanimously on June 17, 1988, after reaffirming resolutions 503 , 525 , 533 , 547 and 610 expressing concern at the imposed death sentences of anti-apartheid activists, the Council noted the deteriorating situation in South Africa.The...
. Two jurists reviewing the case said it was a "crime against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
". Within the South African legal community was mixed. A poll by The Star
The Star (South Africa)
The Star is a daily newspaper based in Gauteng, South Africa. It has a readership of 840 000 and is owned by Independent News & Media. It gained worldwide attention in 2006 when it published survey results according to which about twenty percent of South African men have raped a woman in...
of eleven law professors showed that five were supportive of the execution, while six were not - of the six who were, four raised the prospect of legal reforms and the remaining two remarked the case "smacks of simple vengenace". One professor was dispatched to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to defend the South African government's position on the matter. However, at a press conference, he stated he had not read the trial record but insisted that there had been no miscarriage of justice
Miscarriage of justice
A miscarriage of justice primarily is the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. The term can also apply to errors in the other direction—"errors of impunity", and to civil cases. Most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn, or "quash", a wrongful...
and "all arguments had been heard".
The following day after Security Council Resolution 610 was adopted, a South African court granted a one month stay of execution. Of the six, only four appealed and the other two indicated they would rather be executed. The appeal was rejected in June 1988, which the Security Council condemned in Resolution 615
United Nations Security Council Resolution 615
In United Nations Security Council Resolution 615, adopted unanimously on June 17, 1988, after reaffirming resolutions 503 , 525 , 533 , 547 and 610 expressing concern at the imposed death sentences of anti-apartheid activists, the Council noted the deteriorating situation in South Africa.The...
; however pressure from abroad finally led to sentences of all six being commuted to 18–25 years in prison by President Pieter Willem Botha
Pieter Willem Botha
Pieter Willem Botha , commonly known as "P. W." and Die Groot Krokodil , was the prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president from 1984 to 1989.First elected to Parliament in 1948, Botha was for eleven years head of the Afrikaner National Party and the...
.
With the fall of apartheid, the first members of the Sharpeville Six, Diniso and Khumalo, were released on July 10, 1991, followed by Ramashamola and Mokoena on December 13, 1991 and the final two, Mokhesi and Sefatsa released on September 26, 1992.
See also
- Internal resistance to South African apartheidInternal resistance to South African apartheidInternal resistance to the apartheid system in South Africa came from several sectors of society and saw the creation of organisations dedicated variously to peaceful protests, passive resistance and armed insurrection. It came from both black activists like Steve Biko and Desmond Tutu as well as...
- Sharpeville massacreSharpeville massacreThe Sharpeville Massacre occurred on 21 March 1960, at the police station in the South African township of Sharpeville in the Transvaal . After a day of demonstrations, at which a crowd of black protesters far outnumbered the police, the South African police opened fire on the crowd, killing 69...
in 1960 - South Africa under apartheid