The ANC originally attempted to use non-violent protests to end apartheid; however, the Sharpeville massacre in March 1960, in which 69 black Africans were shot and killed by police and hundreds wounded during a peaceful protest, contributed to deteriorating relations with the South African government. On 8 April 1960, the administration of Charles Robberts Swart banned the ANC in South Africa. After the ban, the ANC formed the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) to fight against apartheid utilising guerrilla warfare and sabotage.