On the morning of 21 March 1960, several thousand people gathered at the police station in Sharpeville, a Black township beside Vereeniging in what is now Gauteng, to protest against the pass laws that controlled where they could live and work. By early afternoon the police had opened fire, and sixty-nine people lay dead, many shot in the back as they ran. The massacre made headlines around the world, led to the banning of the African National Congress and the Pan Africanist Congress, and pushed the liberation movements toward armed struggle. South Africa now marks the date as Human Rights Day, and the graves of the victims in the nearby Phelindaba cemetery are part of the memorial landscape, together with the police station and a small museum.
It is a serious place to visit, and one best approached with patience. The cemetery is a quiet field with rows of simple headstones, and people from the community often come to tend them. Visitors are generally welcomed and guides, some of them with family connections to events, can tell the story with detail that no sign can give. Mandela returned here in December 1996 to sign the new constitution into law, a deliberate choice of ground.
The riding around is flat highveld, with straight roads, mine dumps, power lines and a lot of heavy traffic on the N1 and R59. It is not scenic in the usual sense, but the surrounding region has its own character, with the Vaal river a short distance to the south, offering lakes, weirs and weekend resorts. Drive carefully in the townships, where taxis stop without warning, and be aware that road conditions vary, with potholes after summer storms. Winters are dry and cold at night, and the afternoon thunderstorms of summer can be fierce.
Vereeniging, about four kilometres away, is a large city with fuel stations, supermarkets and restaurants, and Johannesburg lies roughly an hour to the north. As elsewhere in Gauteng, personal safety needs sensible attention: park in sight, do not leave belongings on the bike, and consider arranging a local guide who can introduce you properly. Visit during daylight, dress simply and respectfully, and ask before taking photographs of people or graves.