By the time Robert Sobukwe led a small protest march to the Orlando police station on 21 March 1960, he had already acquired the nickname of “Prof” because of his achievements as an academic. He was also known as a brilliant orator.
But by then he had already attracted the attention of the apartheid government due to his support of the Defiance Campaign in 1952 and many other actions in which he featured prominently. By 1959 he had left the ANC and formed the PAC.
So when he deliberately presented his “dompas” to the police, proving that he had broken the pass laws by being in an area where he was not allowed to be, he was duly arrested and detained.
At the same time, further south towards the Vaal, at a dusty little police station in Sharpeville, one of the great tragedies of the apartheid era was playing out.
Police opened fire, killing 69 people who had gathered to protest against the pass laws. There were 249 casualties in total including 29 children. Many of the injured were shot in the back.
Sobukwe was sentenced to three years in prison for incitement and was then sent to Robben Island. Through what was known as the “Sobukwe Clause”, the Minister of Justice arranged to extend a prisoner’s term by six years without trial.
Sobukwe was a strong supporter of the Africanist view of liberation in South Africa. He was opposed to working with whites, and communists. He argued that whites should be excluded from the ANC, which was heavily influenced by white communists.
Released from prison in 1969, he spent the rest of his life under house arrest in Kimberley, a town chosen for its remote location, making it difficult for him to promote political activities and a place where he could be monitored.
