End violent protests - Motlanthe

2010-03-21 19:06

Johannesburg - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe on Sunday called for an end to violent public protests as the country remembered the Sharpeville massacre in which 69 people were killed, 50 years ago.

"The people of Langa and Sharpville in 1960 did not voice protest by burning libraries and looting public facilities."

"On the contrary, they left their passes at home and marched peacefully to the police stations to hand themselves over for arrest," Motlanthe told hundreds of people gathered at a sports stadium in Sharpevillle, 50km south of Johannesburg.

'Hold government accountable'

Since the beginning of the year some parts of South Africa have been gripped by violent clashes between police and communities demanding services such as clean water, housing and electricity.

"In a democratic era I urge you to hold government accountable by using the democratic institutions available to us to voice our grievances and demands," Motlanthe said.

On March 21 1960 apartheid-era police gunned down unarmed people demonstrating against laws which required black people to carry identity documents wherever they went.

Sixty-nine people were killed and at least 180 were injured, many shot in the back as they tried to flee the scene, an event which was seen as a turning point in the nation's liberation struggle.

Earlier Motlanthe and other government officials laid wreaths and attended church services to honour the dead as part of Human Rights Day.

- SAPA