West community congregate in spirit of Youth Day
The community congregated in the spirit of June 21, 1976, when thousands of learners from Atteridgeville and Mamelodi marched in solidarity, demanding the removal of Afrikaans from their classrooms and calling for transformation of the entire Bantu Education system.
The uprising was a reaction to the national resistance that had begun a few days earlier in Soweto on June 16.
Lesedi School Project founder David Mohale organised the event in partnership with Dr WF Nkomo High School to honour the school's former learners and empower the current learners with education and inspiration from the former students.
'We wanted to celebrate and salute former students for their role in the protest against the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools.'
Survivors of the Atteridgeville protests and former learners of Dr WF Nkomo High School shared their memories and personal stories from the uprising.
Former learner Brenda Masango shared how the riots started in Atteridgeville, reflecting on how bravery and unity defined that day.
'I was in matric that year and we were supposed to write our exams at Hofmeyr in Afrikaans, just after we had started learning the language.'
She said following the uprising in Soweto, they were inspired and wanted to stand in solidarity with their peers.
'After we heard of the massacre of students in Soweto, we were inspired by their bravery and also began organising protest marches that took place on June 21.
'All students came together and we marched to demand the removal of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction,' she said.
Survivor Agnes Ntsoko gave an account of how she ended up in the hospital on that day.
She said she was 14 at the time when she saw learners marching and chanting on the street.
'It was a peaceful march, but when police came, they started shooting at the students. Blood was shed, and students also started fighting back.
'I was standing at a gate when a huge brick hit my face. When I opened my eyes, I was in hospital.'
Another former learner Petunia Seabi-Mathope shared about the strength and resilience of the 1976 youth.
'We were a youth that was very united and held our national identity with high value and pride, and those were some of the things that made us succeed in our fight against apartheid.'
She encouraged the current youth to remember the blood that was shed on the day and honour the lives of those who played a part during the struggle.
'It was not easy to fight for freedom, as today's youth, you need to make sure that you don't lose the freedom that we fought so hard for,' she said.
Hector Peterson's sister, Antoinette Sithole, shared how the uprising that became a national movement began in Soweto on June 16.
'Many of the students were supposed to write preliminary tests on the day. However, over the past days, we had been planning the protest in secret.'
She said learners would meet up at night as though they were studying for the tests, only to discuss their plans to boycott the tests.
'We had planned a peaceful march to convey our message that we didn't want to study in Afrikaans.'
She said that as they marched peacefully, unarmed, with placards that conveyed their messages, they were met with police who fired rubber bullets and then later ammunition at them.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App
Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Gauteng Education clears Laerskool Losberg of racism allegations
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) debunked allegations by a resident that all is not well at Laerskool Losberg in Fochville. The resident, Bongile Thebogo, contacted the Carletonville and Fochville Herald as well as six other media outlets, together with various officials of the Merafong City Local Municipality, with allegations that children and parents from different cultures are not treated the same at Laerskool Losberg. As Thebogo also asked that the GDE look into the allegations, the Herald contacted their spokesperson, Steve Mabona, for official feedback. 'The GDE can confirm that an investigation was conducted at the above-mentioned school. However, the allegations of racism levelled against the principal were discovered to be unfounded,' Mabona responded. He claimed that the department also conducted a formal investigation into the matter and further conducted an oversight practice. This found that the school's invitation to parents' Grade R applications was a general open day for all and that the school has more English classes than Afrikaans classes. It was also found that there are currently 215 Afrikaans and 593 English learners at the school. Mabona also added that the school is currently constructing a nursery and a wall is also being constructed for safety reasons. 'There is a management plan for School Governing Body (SGB) meetings and all SGB members has received the plan. The GDE is also in the possession of confirmations for SGB meetings and the attendance registers, which indicates constant meetings at the said school,' Mabona explained. 'As the department, we always emphasise human rights, transformation and respect for the constitution in our schools. All schools are thoroughly inducted into a culture where transformational principles and rights are prioritised. Equality and dignity are the cornerstones of our Constitution. The department remains committed to creating schooling environments that are free from any form of discrimination, whether it be race, gender, culture and ethnicity, and religion and beliefs,' Mabona concluded.
Eyewitness News
7 days ago
- Eyewitness News
Joshlin Smith trial: State witness Lourencia Lombaard granted full immunity from prosecution
SALDANHA BAY - Section 204 witness Lourentia Lombaard has been granted full immunity from prosecution. Once in the dock herself, Lombaard turned State witness and testified against her co-accused in the Joshlin Smith matter. Earlier, those three were denied leave to appeal their sentences and convictions for kidnapping and trafficking the six-year-old girl Lombaard smiled as an interpreter murmured the English judgment in Afrikaans that she would not be prosecuted. ALSO READ | Joshlin Smith trial: State witness Lourencia Lombaard granted full immunity from prosecution Rushing out of the court flanked by members of the media, the once accused turned state witness said she had nothing more to say as she left. While delivering his judgement, Judge Nathan Erasmus recalled being exposed to her poor standard of living and noted that she looked better after being addicted to drugs for a long period of her life. He also commended her for her honesty. 'What I can say about you, Miss Lombaard, you owned up to your mistakes, always.' Judge Erasmus said the state would not have successfully prosecuted the other three without her testimony, which eventually landed her a deal with the State.
TimesLIVE
11-08-2025
- TimesLIVE
Activist Palesa Musa reflects on youth in prison after 1976
A year shy of the youth uprising's 50th anniversary, political activist Palesa Musa reflects on the role she and others played in South Africa's liberation struggle, particularly during the pivotal year of the 1976 Soweto uprising. At the age of 12, she was part of the historic student march that led to the death of more than 100 pupils protesting against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. Graffiti pictured above honours Musa and other former detainees outside Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. Musa stands at the women's jail where she was put in a cell with eight other inmates from the age of 12 until she was 18 years old. Musa recalls a historic apple tree, which still stands today, where she and fellow inmates would secretly pluck fruit during their detention in the 1970s. The spot also served as a makeshift church, where prisoners would gather for worship in a courtyard at Constitution Hill. Pictured below is the cloth used by female prisoners during their menstrual cycles as they were not provided with proper underwear. Musa, who was a minor at the time, recalls the humiliating experience of her fellow inmates who were subjected to random inspections by prison officers. The inspections involved invasive and degrading checks to verify whether they were menstruating. Below are cleaning materials used by black prisoners in the women's jail, where they would clean the floors to make sure they were shiny. Musa remembers the communal shower where she and fellow female inmates were allowed to bathe only once a month. Despite the rare opportunity for hygiene, the experience was humiliating as they faced mockery from other inmates.
