The 59th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre where 69 protesters against the dompas were gunned down by apartheid police was marked with gay abandon by members across party lines in a jovial mood outside the George Thabe Stadium, where the main event was hosted by ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa last Thursday.
Revellers in party T-shirts lined both sides of the main road into the township on Seeiso Street, eating and drinking under the shade of tents, gazebos and umbrellas.
On March 21, 1960, instead of dispersing the large crowd gathered outside the police station in a protest to burn their hated identity documents, the police shot and killed the 69, injuring scores more.
In latter years, many would die of the injuries sustained on the fateful day.
The march was led by the PAC leader, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, and ever since, the party had insisted on this recognition being given to the humble man widely known as “Prof”.
Subsequently, the PAC was banned on April 8, 1960 and so, too, its leaders, while those like Sobukwe were sentenced to prison terms on Robben Island.
At every turn since, the PAC has used every opportunity to remind posterity that Sharpeville and Langa in Cape Town, happened under its aegis.
The party would never miss the opportunity to remind anyone within hearing distance that the longest serving prisoner on Robben Island was not Nelson Mandela, but its own Jafta Masemola.
But the ANC has taken the lead role in commemorating the day, renaming it Human Rights Day in 1994. Some within the PAC have labeled this role as revisionist.
A popular PAC view is represented by part of a statement issued last Wednesday: “We need to interrogate why the South African government, if it claims to recognise Sharpeville, is falling to rename universities, airports, roads and city buildings after all the PAC freedom fighters: Sobukwe, John Nyathi Phokela, Zeph Mothopeng, Masemola, Gerald Khondo, Sabelo Phama, AP Mda, Anton Lembede, Potlako Leballo. Monuments should be built in honour of their supreme sacrifice and selflessness.”
The memorial precinct was itself adorned in ANC memorabilia, commemorating the centenary of Mandela and Albertina Sisulu instead, with Sobukwe nowhere in sight.
Sobukwe’s face was only seen on the T-shirts of the Poqo - party faithful.
But the narrative seems to be changing as the PAC appears to be relenting on owning the day.
Narius Moloto, president of the PAC, said: “It is open to all parties, including the public. The PAC cannot stop people from commemorating national heroes. This day now belongs to the nation and future generations.”
Throngs of PAC supporters conspicuously stayed away from the main address at the stadium and gathered in large groups at the drinking houses along Seeiso Street, singing freedom songs.
New kid on the block, the African Transformation Movement made an appearance in a sprinkling of T-shirts.
“This event must be commemorated not just by political parties but by all South Africans. However, the historic leadership of the PAC should never be downplayed or denied. This day should in fact be called ‘Sharpeville Day’ so that the true meaning of this atrocious (sic) day is not lost,” said Mzwanele Manyi, NEC member, head of Policy and Strategy of ATM.
Conspicuous by their absence were the likes of the Cope.
Papi Kganare, the secretary-general, tells this reporter: “You know that Cope had an election campaign in Kliptown. There’s no need to celebrate human rights when a large number of South Africans’ basic human rights are denied by the ANC government, ie unemployment, lack of sanitation, load shedding, etc. While the Sharpeville event was organised by the PAC, the people who gathered at Sharpeville were not PAC members. It was supported by all South Africans who were opposed to the carrying of passbooks.”
The mood was festive, with the longest queues forming outside the liquor outlet of a large supermarket chain.
The entrepreneurial spirit was evident among homeowners who opened their doors, selling plates of food or turning their addresses into shebeens.
Perhaps those who sacrificed their lives on that day in 1960, will sleep well knowing the generations that came after them stood united on one thing - even if it was a glass of bubbly.