Sharpeville survivors sue to overturn 1961 indemnity law

Survivors of the Sharpeville massacre, including 86-year-old Abraham Mofokeng, are launching a legal battle to overturn the indemnity law that shielded police from prosecution after the 1960 killings.

The massacre on 21 March 1960 saw police open fire on thousands of peaceful protesters in Sharpeville, south of Johannesburg, killing at least 69 people. The demonstration was against apartheid-era pass laws, which restricted the movement of Black South Africans and enforced racial segregation. Mofokeng, who still carries a bullet in his spine and walks with a limp from a leg wound, recalls the oppression: "We weren't seen as people. All you were good for was working. You couldn't question them."

Despite the global outrage that followed, no one was ever held accountable due to a 1961 indemnity law. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), established after apartheid ended in 1994, investigated past crimes but did not deliver justice for the survivors. The legal case, set to be announced this week, aims to challenge that impunity. Sharpeville’s Human Rights Precinct, with its 69 white pillars commemorating the dead, stands as a grim reminder of the bloodshed and unresolved injustice.

The fight for accountability comes as South Africa continues to grapple with the legacy of apartheid. While the system was dismantled decades ago, its scars remain—visible in the crumbling infrastructure of Sharpeville and the lingering pain of survivors like Mofokeng. If successful, the legal challenge could set a precedent for addressing other historical injustices, offering a chance for closure and justice long denied.