Sharpeville became a household name across the world in the 1960s after the apartheid police opened fire on a protest march outside the Sharpeville Police Station. Sixty-nine people, mainly women and children, were killed. This event was a turning point in our country’s history. A State of Emergency was declared and all black political parties were banned. The township was once again in the headlines during the 1984 Vaal Uprising in which thousands of people took to the streets to protest against apartheid iniquities.

Kagiso Urban Management appointed Trace as part of multidisciplinary team to develop a business and implementation plan for the transformation of a number of key precincts in Sharpeville as well as in Vereeniging on behalf of the Sedibeng Municipality District. Trace is specifically responsible for providing assistance on the heritage and public art components of the project.

As part of its responsibilities, Trace carried out extensive desktop and site research to create a comprehensive historical overview of both Sharpeville and Vereeniging. This work formed the basis for a heritage development plan at the sites of the Sharpeville Exhibition Centre, the cemetery where the victims of the Sharpeville Massacre are buried and also at the Civic Precinct in the Vereeniging city center. The business plan for these precincts was completed at the end of 2009.

During the course of 2010, aspects of the business plan are going to be implemented. The first priority is to start the upgrade of the cemetery and Exhibition Centre in time for the 50th anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre on the 21 March 2010. The project will train and involve local artists as part of the heritage interventions.