Sharpeville massacre survivors sue South African government for compensation
Three claimants have filed a test case seeking compensation from South Africa’s government over the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, potentially opening a path for further claims.
In short
- Three claimants have filed a test case seeking compensation from South Africa’s government over the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, potentially opening a path for further claims.
Three claimants linked to the Sharpeville massacre have sued South Africa’s government for compensation, launching a test case that could lead to additional claims from survivors and victims’ families.
The case was filed on September 3, 2026, according to The Guardian. The claimants include Abraham Mofokeng, who was shot while fleeing the protest, and two women whose fathers were killed. Their lawyers are seeking about 500,000 rand for each claimant.
Police opened fire on demonstrators protesting apartheid pass laws in Sharpeville on March 21, 1960. At least 91 people were killed and 238 injured, according to figures cited in the report.
The legal team, led in South Africa by Lawyers for Human Rights and advised by the UK firm Leigh Day, argues that a 1961 law shielding the apartheid government and officials from liability is unconstitutional. That law was made retroactive to the date of the massacre and remains in force.
The filing comes amid renewed litigation over unresolved apartheid-era abuses. In January 2025, survivors and relatives in separate cases sued the government over its failure to prosecute matters referred by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. President Cyril Ramaphosa subsequently announced an inquiry into possible political interference. South Africa’s justice department had not commented on the new Sharpeville claim when The Guardian published its report.
