NICHO CAN YOU SHARE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF SHARPEVILLE

AND ITS MASSACRE?

Nicho Ntema – Sharpevilleoligist,

historian & future scenario planner

Although a commission of enquiry was held

into the events at Sharpeville, what actually

happened is still subject to a dispute. Only a

few facts came to light, none of the police

involved in the massacre were convicted.

As Sharpeville is turning 75 years this year, so

much has happened since its birth from the

remnants of Top Location; a slum settlement

in the present Duncanville, in Vereeniging,

which ceased to exist in the early 1960’s,

though decommissioned due to the birth of

Sharpeville in 1942.

The Sharpeville Massacre, which occurred 18 years later since the birth of Sharpeville on the

afternoon of Monday the 21st March 1960 (near the old Sharpeville Police Station), instantly put

the name Sharpeville on the headlines of the world’s newspapers as well as engraving this unique

Scottish migrant-named village history within the history books of the world. John Lillie Sharpe;

a Scot who came to work as a Secretary for Stewards and Lloyds and later becoming the Mayor

of Vereeniging, got his name immortalized in Sharpeville as he was known to have been having a

soft spot for black residents’ issues at Top Location.

Some 24 years later after the 1960 Massacre, the Vaal Uprisings which started on the 3rd of

September 1984 and had Sharpeville participating within it through its Sharpeville Rent Crisis

Committee, gave birth to the Sharpeville Six which were five men and a woman sentenced to

death for the murder of Jacob Khuzwayo Dlamini; a local deputy mayor of the Lekwa City Council.

These two significant, though distant events, propelled Sharpeville’s name to the international

discussion platforms of the world. They both generated the only two States of Emergency ever

declared in South Africa, and both also got United Nations’ Resolutions and further kept the name

of Sharpeville within newsrooms of the world for the past 57 years.

LAS VEGAS WAS JUST HOME TO THE DEADLIEST SHOOTING MASSACRE THE

UNITED STATES HAS EVER FACED IN ITS HISTORY. IS THERE ANY ADVICE THE

SHARPEVILLE COMMUNITY CAN SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF

LAS VEGAS SUFFERING THE HEARTBREAK OF SUCH A HORRIFIC MOMENT?

Atrocities like these rebuild communities. Sharpeville is home to almost 40000 residents within

a 4.99 square kilometer radius. The 21 March 1960 Sharpeville Massacre remains the main

collective identity of all these residents even three to four generations apart.

Today this tragic event remains the most common unifier. In all events where hatred is projected

at anyone in mankind, that should drive ALL to yield positivity, to learn from it and continue doing

good for the good of all of mankind.

NINA HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE

SHARPEVILLE COMMUNITY?

Nina du Toit Saunders. I became involved with the Sharpeville

community through her 10-year experience as a lecturer for English

Methodology and English Didactics and English Communication at the

then Sebokeng College of Education from 1984 to 1994 (The dawn of

democracy in South Africa). I became the coordinator of a process

instituted at the college for Total Quality Management and

Institutional Self Improvement. As a result, I stepped out of the lecture

room and into bringing community and other relevant stakeholders to

the institution’s processes for greater unity, involvement and

participation and ownership as the college prepared for the demise of

apartheid and dawn of the 1st democratic elections in South Africa in 1994.

As part of this program me and my cofounder Sophie Mokoena (then an SRC student leader and

now heading up the News Desk at the South African Broadcasting Corporation) designed a mass

empowerment program for the approximately 700 students, running values audits and needs

analysis to determine the content of the program. The program consequently incorporated skills

not acquired during the formal tuition program, such as leadership, voter education, financial life

skills, role models in entrepreneurship, nonviolence and conflict resolution which brought me to

seeking and inviting Arun Gandhi to run programs. The nonviolence programs he conducted at

the college and within the community made a significant contribution to ensuring a peaceful

approach and environment for the 1st Democratic Elections in 1994. Arun worked with the youth

brigades of various political parties such as the ANC Youth League, the Inkatha Youth Brigade and

the PAC Youth Brigades. He worked with the students of the college and varied Youth and

Community Structures in an area of South Africa called the Vaal Triangle.

This area incorporates historically white towns such as Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, Sasolburg

and the traditionally black townships of Sebokeng, Boipatong, Bophelong, Zamdela, Evaton,

Orange Farm. The programs were supported by local talent and the specific talents of individuals

such as Gamakulu Diniso – a playwright and artist. Young leaders such as Chris Rashoalane and

Joshua Mabaso who ran community based industrial theatre programs on HIV / Aids and Quality

and other relevant topics formed part of the leadership in the program of Mass Empowerment

at the College.

NINA CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT GAMAKULA

DINISO AND HOW YOU MET? Gamakulu Diniso is a

playwright and artist hailing from Sharpeville. I started

working with him on the empowerment programs in

1992/3.

How I met Gamakulu is important to me as he was sent

to me by my father. Gama had gone to Zimbabwe in the

year before we met to conduct his one man play Ikasi

June 1993 which addressed issues of ANC and PAC tug

of war and all other political parties blaming one

another. He says he felt safe to say what he wanted to

say there.

One evening after his performance, when he was back in his dressing room he was advised that

there were two white Afrikaans people wanting to see him.

He says he was alarmed. Thinking that the South African Government had sent spies to follow

him. He waited, hoping they would leave, but was again reminded that they were waiting

patiently for him by a backstage hand. When he heard that one of the two was a woman, he says

he felt he would see them, possibly there would not be harm or arrest if a woman was present.

The man and woman waiting for him were my father

Johannes Jurgens du Toit and my mother Tina du Toit.

My father wanted to chat with Gama about the play

and the themes brought out during the play and learn

more about his life and work. When my father heard

that Gama was from Sharpeville he asked him to find

me, his daughter as I was working in Sebokeng, a

neighbouring to Sharpeville township. My father told

Gamakulu to go to the college and ask for Nelina!

This was my full name, but everyone called me NINA. No one but my parents called me Nelina.

So, Gama returned to South Africa and he heeded the request from my father and came to look

for me at the college. Of course, no one in the college administrative staff knew anyone by the

name Nelina, but finally on his instance that there HAD to be such a person, decided that

“Nina” was the most similar name. Thus, they called me in my office and told me that there was

someone looking for a NELINA and could that be me? Well of course I was amazed. Who could

this be who knew my full name?

That is how I met Gama and we started

working together on the mass empowerment

program and we still work together this many

years later and my interest and love and

affinity for the Sharpeville Community grew

through friendships with people whom Gama

had groomed and grown in this theatre.

People such as Nicho Mojalefa Ntema and

Modisana Mabele.

I was delighted that Arun Gandhi and the

touring group could return to spend a day

with us in Sharpeville on their last tour in South Africa and that the tour is returning to learn

more about Sharpeville and help to support the work of rebuilding this amazing community.

The work Arun Gandhi did is 1993 was important in laying a foundation for a peaceful transition

to democracy for South Africa and all its citizens. He lived, not only his grandfather’s legacy and

philosophy, BUT more importantly laid down a track of his own work here in the Vaal Triangle

and South Africa and more specifically in Sharpeville and the surrounding communities.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST PASSION PROJECT YOUR PROMOTE AND WHY?

Sharpeville2020 Vision Platform

There is a process underway called the Sharpeville Vision 2020.

It is THE ULTIMATE ECONOMIC REVIVAL, DEVELOPMENT AND

ADVANCEMENT PLAN FOR SHARPEVILLE AND ITS IMMEDIATE

NEIGHBOURS.

This plan has four major action plans that should be tried, tested

and realized by 2020.

This concept is the brain child of Nicho Ntema; a Sharpeville-

born development strategist and economics enthusiast, with

twenty years’ experience as a tourism player and a visionary

scenario planner.

The overall vision of the development plan is the revitalize the Sharpeville “City” with a focus

on socio-economic upliftment and development. Sharpeville is an internationally recognized

City and has a marketable brand. The objectives are to change the city into a place of work,

play, life, relaxation, tourism and entertainment, training and culture.

WHAT IMPACT IS YOUR PASSION PROJECT HAVING ON THE COMMUNITY?

Within the next three years, the four pillars below should generate programs and projects along

other supplementary and complementary existing initiatives that are uniquely Sharpeville based,

focused or oriented.

THE SEEISO STREET AND PRECINCTS ECONOMIC STUDY is underway in partnership with the

North West University Subject Group; Economics led by Prof. Daniel Meyer. This study has

commenced research studies to investigate the viability of economic activity within the

Sharpeville’s Main Seeiso Street and the Human Rights Precinct and develop plans for selected

nodes and operations within those nodes for economic activity enhancement. The development

and advancement of the identified nodes shall precede the Tourism Development that will be

completed by the development and the implementation of the Sharpeville Destination and

Marketing Plan for the five years with reviews every five years thereafter.

Furthermore the program encompasses the dream of establishing a Centre for Liberation,

Consciousness and Non Violence in Sharpeville in a proposed partnership with the University of

The North West Vaal Campus. Please see attached concept document for your insight and

comment and participation / support.

NINA CAN YOU SHARE WITH US ABOUT SMILING AND LAUGHTER?

Laughter is a great and natural stress reliever. Pure natural and

extended laughter without comedy and jokes has proven

scientific impact on the mind, body and soul. Across the world

people are battling with the debilitating effects of stress on

their personal physical and mental health and wellness. So

too, societies are relatedly impacted upon by the stress

burden of the individuals which comprise the community and

society. The effects of stress can be seen in the daily

interaction amongst people, be they family, community,

nations. A stressed person suffers burnout on physical,

emotional and psychological levels and resultantly has low

levels of empathy, tolerance, creativity, compassion, positive

engagement with others. Thus, they are more inclined to

become fearful, desperate, angry, irrational and react with violence. A stressed nation becomes

a danger to itself and others. Stress is the elephant in the room!

I have always been a very positive person and loved communicating hope, peace and love. In

this respect, laughter therapy found a home in my mind and heart, as a tool to actively help at

an individual or group level with the negative effects of stress, helping them to find the way back

to hope, joy and peace.

I was trained as laughter therapist in 2007 and am

one of the longest practicing laughter therapists in

South Africa, possibly in Africa. I have laughed with

pre-schools, schools, university staff, NGO’s, carers,

nurses, pathologists, pharmacists, doctors, lawyers,

bankers, churches and faiths ranging from Christian

to Muslim. Corporate clients large and small and

community organizations, youth and the elderly.

I would love to see everyone practicing laughter

daily as individuals and communities and workplace

integration of a culture of joy and peace. Laughter

therapy is a natural link to the principles of Non –

Violence and provides people with a tool to get the

that point in their minds, where they can see themselves more positively and relate better to

their own and other’s problems. I would love to trial laughter in a school / workplace and measure

the impact over a period of time.

Laughter at Feeding Scheme Schools in Sebokeng with Lebo Mopo and John Mofokeng

Laughter with Construction Workers in Johannesburg

Laughter with Forensic Pathology

HOW CAN PEOPLE SUPPORT YOUR WORK AND EFFORTS?

There is a lot we do. We believe in collaborations and ideas exchange. We can forge partnerships

in various processes and projects that will have an impact on their lives of our people.

One such collaboration is the North-West University Economics and Education Departments

involvement within our concepts.

Please go through the following websites and we can discuss several common interests we may

have:

https://nichontema.weebly.com/

Book tours through Sharpeville Truth Tours

http://truthtours.weebly.com

GANDHI SAID, IF WE ARE GOING TO TEACH REAL PEACE, IT BEGINS WITH THE CHILDREN.

HOW ARE YOU INCORPORATING GANDHI'S PHILOSOPHY OF NONVIOLENCE INTO THE WORK

YOU DO WITHIN THE SHARPEVILLE COMMUNITY?

We have been pushing for the establishment of a Centre for Liberation, Consciousness and

Non-Violence. Please see Centre for Liberation concept document.

WHAT CAN THE SATYAGRAHA TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA PARTICIPANTS DO TO

COME MORE PREPARED FOR OUR UPCOMING VISIT WITH THE SHARPEVILLE

COMMUNITY?

Plant a Tree:

There is a farm Vukuzenzele within Sharpeville that we have identified as one of the

flagship projects within the Sharpeville Vision 2020 process. It would be great to have a

couple of indigenous trees planted within this farm to symbolize the deep-rooted spirit we

all have on non-violence, peace and reconciliation.

Penpals for Youth

Further it would be great if participants of the tour could establish pen pal relationships

with youth in the community so that their minds can see the larger world and the

possibility of other opportunities.

Scholarship Opportunities

Bring information about scholarship opportunities.

Agriculture Support

Support through links and access to funding for the development of commercial urban

hydroponic farm in Sharpeville.

Support of Local Crafters

Support the local crafters and services on the day of the visit.