Johannesburg. – A visit to Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Rich in South African history and where on the 16th June 1976 a group of about 20000 high school students marched to protest against a ruling by the National Party’s apartheid regime which forced children, from black only schools, to be taught in Afrikaans – “the language of the oppressor”.
Their rally was met with violence and an estimated 176 were killed by the authorities. The most famous being 13 year old Hector Pieterson. More than a thousand were wounded.
We remember their sacrifice as we commemorate Youth Day. I visited the Victor Pieterson Memorial with #MeetSouthAfrica.
More details of the day here – Soweto Uprising.
