What Was Education Like During
Apartheid?
During the years of Apartheid, children in South Africa received
different education based on their race groups. Black South
African children received a free, but sub-standard education.
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children.
What Caused the Uprising in 1976?
In 1975, the government passed a new
law that forced schools teaching non-
white children to teach mathematics,
arithmetic, and social studies in
Afrikaans from grade 7. General Science
and practical subjects (homecraft,
needlework, woodwork, metalwork, art,
agricultural science) had to be taught in
English and indigenous languages, such
as Zulu and Xhosa, would only be used
for religious instruction, music, and
physical culture.
16th June 1976
On the morning of the 16th June 1976, between 10 000 and 20 000
black children (and some other supporters) walked from their
schools to the Orlando stadium.
As the students began the march, they discovered that the police
had barricaded the road along the route they wanted to take. The
leader of the action committee asked the crowd not to provoke the
police
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students marchandcontinued along another
waved posters route.
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16th June 1976
The police who were on duty had no special training in crowd
control. They had no loudhailer and the tear gas they released was
proving ineffective. The police released their dogs to try to drive the
crowds back. The students killed the dogs and in the panic, the
police opened fire on the crowd. 15-year-old Hastings Ndlovu and
12-year-old Hector Pieterson were amongst the first to be killed by
police bullets. The crowd were furious and violence erupted.
16th June 1976
Amongst the 23 people killed on the 16th June was Dr. Melville
Edelstein, who had spent his life fighting for the rights of the black
community. He was stoned to death by the mob of students and
left with a sign around his neck which said ‘Beware Afrikaners’.
16th June 1976
The mob of angry protesters barricaded roads and burned cars. They
attacked bottle stores, beer halls and shops, looting them and burning
them down.
Soweto
At the end of the first day,
Soweto was marked with
fires that burned into the
night. The paramilitary
police arrived in heavy
armoured vehicles to
patrol Soweto.
On the 17th June 1976,
more people across
Soweto joined in on the
violent protest, looting
and burning schools,
municipal halls and
offices. Protests spread to
Thembisa, which staged a
peaceful protest, and
Kagiso, where the police
shot another 5 people
trying to stop the
protest action.
Soweto
Violence continued
through to the 18th June
1976, as the police tried
to regain law and order
in the townships across
Johannesburg with
helicopters and armed
vehicles. The order was
given to shoot to kill and
try to regain control.
How Many People Were Killed During the
Uprising?
It is hard to know exactly how many people were killed across
Johannesburg during the Soweto Uprising as the government
never released accurate figures. They feared that if they
released the true number of people killed and injured, the
people would be so angry that it would result in further
violence.
The official number released by the government was that only
23 people died in the Uprising but it is estimated that up to 200
people actually died and thousands were injured.
Why Is Hector Pieterson Considered a Symbol of
the Uprising?
Hector Pieterson was one of
the first children shot during
the protest. A photograph of
him being carried away by
Mbuyisa Makhubo was taken
by Sam Nzima. This photo
was widely published. It was
used as a major rallying point
around the world of the
struggle against Apartheid.
Why Is Hector Pieterson Considered a Symbol of
the Uprising?
Today, visitors to Soweto can visit the memorial that was built
to commemorate the events of 16th June 1976. At the
memorial, you can see the photograph taken of Hector
Pieterson on that fateful day.
