WATCH: Sharpeville Massacre survivors' horror and scars

SIXTY-four years ago, on 21 March 1960, just before 2pm, apartheid police opened fire on a peaceful crowd of about 4 000 residents.

Sharpeville residents in the Vaal were protesting against the carrying of dompas, which restricted black people’s movement.

The fatal incident was later called the Sharpeville Massacre. And years later, on 10 December 1996, Mzansi's first black president, the late Nelson Mandela, chose the same venue to sign into power South Africa's Constitution, which includes a Bill of Rights and other clauses to guarantee human rights for all.

Thirty years into democracy, some of the Sharpeville Massacre survivors still want to tell their stories of that fateful day.

The survivors have called on the government to reopen the Truth and Reconciliation dialogue.

They feel that their stories were not properly told as they were not called to narrate what happened on the fateful day, when 69 people were killed and 186 were wounded, with most shot in their backs.

Some of the survivors were wounded and still have scars that serve as a daily reminder of the brutality of apartheid.

They told Daily Sun that the blood that was shed, including theirs, assisted in nourishing the democracy the country is enjoying today.

However, they said they are not enjoying that because they feel the government has sidelined them and were never recognised.

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Survivor gogo Elizabeth Chabedi (75) said she was just 11 years old when she was shot on the hand leading her to lose her finger.

She said she was caught in a crossfire while looking for her grandparents, who had joined the protest.

“I had just come back from school and my grandparents where not at home. I was told they went to the old police station. There were police choppers flying around and I got scared and decided to go look for my grandparents,” she said.

“Just as I got there, I heard a loud bang and the people started to run. As I was also running, I felt a sharp pain in my hand and some unknown man came and held me by my hand and ran with me,” she said.

She said after they found a safe place, she saw a lot of blood coming out of her hand, and another man with a car rushed her to the hospital.

“After I was discharged from the hospital, I couldn’t continue with my studies because I was mentally disturbed by what happened,” she said.

Elizabeth said with everything that happened, what pained her more was how they had been sidelined.

“As survivors we've been forgotten by the government. We're only remembered when it’s 21 March and rewarded with a plate of food and that’s it,” she said.

She said year in and year out, they are dying as survivors, and the government is yet to give them the honour they deserve.

“We're the real freedom fighters, and our stories were never told. We're calling on the government to afford us a chance to tell our stories through the Truth and Reconciliation dialogue,” she said.