1976 JUNE 16; THE HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF EVENTS BY SANGONET

Abstract

The Bantu school system was grossly inequitable. Black South Africans were trained for roles like laborer, worker, and servant and were insulated from subversive ideas, aligning with the racist arc of the South African apartheid system, while being relegated into schools with substandard facilities and teaching materials. Organizations like the Black Consciousness Movement and South African Students Organization helped raise consciousness among Black students about the quality of education the apartheid government provided. 

In 1974, the government made the Afrikaans language (of Dutch origin) compulsory in South African education, alongside English. This set in motion further student organizing, which led to a march in Soweto on June 16, 1976, where between 3,000 and 10,000 students marched peacefully in protest.

They were met by heavily armed police who shot at them. The protest, now an “uprising,” spread across South Africa. More than 1,000 students died, mostly at the hands of the police. 

The Soweto riots of 1976 were the most brutal and violent riots that had taken place against the South African apartheid administration. It was also amazing in how far and how fast it spread. Its significance would go beyond the violence on the streets. 

The police actions during the riots would be part of what instigated a world-wide boycott of South African produce and signalled the increased militancy of the black population of South Africa. During a reorganisation of the Bantu Education Department of the government, the South African apartheid government decided to start enforcing a long-forgotten law requiring that secondary education be conducted only in Afrikaans, rather than in English or any of the native African languages. 

This was bitterly resented by both teachers and students. Many teachers themselves did not speak Afrikaans (an extremely difficult language to learn) and so could not teach the students. The students resented being forced to learn the language of their oppressors and saw it as a direct attempt to cut them off from their original culture. By 1976, several teachers were ignoring the directive and were fired, prompting staff resignations.  Tensions grew. Students refused to write papers in Afrikaans and were expelled. The students of one school after another went on strike. The government response was to simply shut the down schools and expel the striking students. A protest march was organised in the black Soweto township just outside Johannesburg on June 16 1976. Over 20,000 students turned up to the march, followed closely by the police.

“We assemble to once more say: Thank you, to our youth who were at the forefront of the struggle against apartheid. We hope to inspire you to continue Mandela’s legacy by committing to serve the youth in your communities with “My Mandela Pledge”! – Nelson Mandela, June 16, 1996

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PDF file: 1976 JUNE 16_THE HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF EVENTS BY SANGONET

Digital Links:

https://www.sahistory.org.za/

https://files.libcom.org › files › 1976 The Soweto 

https://www.mpm.edu › default › files › education 

https://blogs.soas.ac.uk › soashistoryblog › 2021/06/16 

PDF file: 1976 JUNE 16_THE HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF EVENTS BY SANGONET