SOWETO UPRISING OF 1976 INTRODUCTION

IN 1976 JUNE 16, ABOUT THOUSANDS OF BLACK STUDENT WALKED FROM THEIR SPECIFIC SCHOOLS

TO ORLANDO STADIUM TO PROTEST AGAINST THE LAW WHICH WAS INTRODUCED BY THE

GOVERNMENT THAT AFRIKAANS WAS TO BE THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN ALL SOUTH AFRICAN

SCHOOLS. HOWEVER THE PROTEST WAS PLANNED VERY WELL BY THE SOWETO STUDENTS

REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL (SSRC). AND IT WAS INTENDED TO BE PEACEFUL THOUGH.

DURING THE PROTEST

DURING THE PROTEST….. CONTINUED THE CROWD BETWEEN 3.000 AND 10.000 OF STUDENTS, MADE THEIR WAY TOWARDS THE AREA OF

SCHOOL.

HOWEVER THE STUDENTS WERE SINGING AND ALSO WOVE PLACARDS WITH SLOGANS. “ DOWN WITH AFRIKAANS,” “VIVA AZANIA” AND “IF WE DO AFRIKAANS, VORSTER MUST DO ZULU.”

“THE POLICE TOLD US TO DISPERSE, BUT WEV REFUSED, SAYING THAT ‘NO WE ARE NOT GOING TO LOOT, WE ARE NOT GOING TO DO ANYHTING WRONG. WE ARE JUST GOING TO MARCH AND DEMONSTRATE AND SING THEN GO BACK HOME.’ THEY AGAIN SAID THAT WE MUST DISPERSE.”

JON-JON MKHONZA, ABOUT POLICE

INTERVENTIN JUST PRIOR TO THE

POLICE DOGS BEING RELEASED.

WHEN THE POLICE DOGS WHERE RELEASED!!

THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOTS BY THE POLICE

WHEN THE POLICEMAN STARTED TO DO THE FIRE SHOT TO THE CROWD, STUDENTS ALSO STARTED TO

THROW THE STONES ON THE POLICEMEN.

INFACT THE POLICE TRIED TO MAKE THE CROWD TO BE CALM AS THEY STARTED TO USE THE POLICE

DOGS AND TEAR GAS TO DISPEARSE THE STUDENT.

UNFORTUNATELY THE METHOD DID NOT WORKED OUT, BECAUSE THE STUDENT ALSO BEATEN THE

POLICE DOGS TO DEATH.

TEAR GAS SHOTS

“Police took up positions on the hill above the school and started shooting tear gas. All hell broke lose….”

by Murphy Monroe

“Students began to panic as they were dazed and blinded by tear gas. Students were scattered, running up

and down… Coming back, running… coming back. It was some kind of game, because they were running

away, coming back, taking stones throwing them at the police….it was a chaos. Whenever the police shot

the tear gas, we jumped the wall to the church yard”

by Sibongile Mkhobela

TEAR GAS SHOTS PICTURE

THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOTS BY THE POLICE PICTURES

POLICEMEN SHOT THE STUDENTS TO DEATH

HASTINGS NDLOVU WAS THE FIRST STUDENT WHO WAS SHOT BY THE POLICEMAN.

FOLLOWED BY HECTOR PIETERSON WHO WAS TWELVE YEARS OLD, HIS BODY BECAME THE SYMBOL OF POLICE BRUTALITY.

FURTHER WHEN THE PROTEST CONTINUED, ABOUT 23 WHERE DIED INCLUDING TWO WHITE PEOPLE.

AMONG THESE PEOPLE THERE WAS DR. MELVILLE EDELSTEIN WHO HAD DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO SOCIAL WELFARE AMONG THE BLACK POPULATION.

INDEED HE WAS STONED TO DEATH AND LEFT WITH A SIGN AROUND HIS NECK PROCLAIMING THAT “BE AWARE OF AFRIKAANERS”.

POLICEMEN SHOT THE STUDENTS TO DEATH PICTURES

POLICEMEN SHOT THE STUDENTS TO DEATH PICTURES

CONCLUSION

THE BLACK STUDENTS OF SOUTH AFRICA WERE TRYING TO FIGHT FOR WHAT WAS GOOD FOR THEM THAT

IS WHY THEY WERE PROTESTING AGAINST THE SYSTEM WHICH WAS GIVEN TO THEM BY THE

GOVERNMENT. IN FACT THE UPRISING HAS LED TO THE DEATH OF MANY STUDENTS. HOWEVER UNTIL

TODAY IN SOUTH AFRICA WE CELEBRATE ON THE 16TH OF JUNE, SINCE THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO SOUTH

AFRICA AS A NATION.

SOURCES FOR THE PICTURES

Picture on the introduction from: Navy.mil.za

Slide two: by Kgothatso Mnale

Slide four: from: mg.co.za

Slide seven; from: coopersangels.blogspot.com

Slide eight; from: Listverse.com and Thenewage.co.za

Slide ten: by Sam Nzima

Slide eleven: by Sam Nzima

REFERENCES

J M. Vrudny

Murphy Monroe

Sibongile Mkhobela

Jon J Mkhonza

Zanele Mashimbye