Sharpeville survivors file class action to overturn apartheid indemnity law

Vincent Thamae, a Sharpeville resident and member of the Pan Africanist Congress, has been gathering testimonies since 2018 for Voices of Sharpeville. He now connects survivors with a legal team that has filed a class-action suit against the South African government. The claim targets the 1961 Indemnity Act, which continues to protect officials from civil liability for the Sharpeville police killings that left between 69 and 91 dead and hundreds injured.

Representative plaintiffs Abram Mofokeng, Paulina Mathinye and Ishmael Poho, all directly affected by the massacre, are joined by over 70 other survivors and relatives. Lawyers, including Dan Leader of Leigh Day, argue the law violates constitutional rights and that the case fills gaps left by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s limited reparations. If successful, the suit could allow individual damage awards and broader reparative measures such as education guarantees for descendants.