Hector Pieterson - First to be killed
The word ‘Apartheid’ is an Afrikaans word which means separation, and this name was
given to the racial-social ideology in which developed in South Africa during
the twentieth century. The Apartheid regime was developed by the National Party
in South Africa and was used as a means to cement their control over the social
and economic system. Originally, the aim of apartheid was to display maintain
the white dominance whilst also extending racial separation. In the 1960’s, a
plan of ‘Grand Apartheid’ was executed and this had a heavy emphasis on
territorial separation and police repression. The result was that the majority
of Blacks in South Africa were being deprived of basic human rights and were
also restricted heavily in all areas of life with a lack of political rights.
During this period, the whites were living in a time of ‘white supremacy’.
The immediate cause for the uprising was the student opposition to a decree issued by the Bantu Education Department in 1953, the Bantu Education Act. This act was a segregation law which legalized several aspects of the apartheid system. One major provision was that it enforced racially separated educational facilities. In 1959 this extended to universities with non-white universities and colleges with the Extension of University Education Act. However the most immediate cause for the march was the fact that Afrikaans was now compulsory alongside English as a medium of instruction in schools in 1974.The result was an immediate protest against apartheid, and this was led by high-school students in what is known as the Soweto Riots of 1976. The riots were the most brutal and violent riots in which had taken place against the apartheid administration. The spread of the riots quickly reached across South Africa at an alarming rate and news of the police's actions during the riots instigated a world-wide boycott of South African produce and also signaled the increased militancy of the black population of South Africa.
What happened during the riots was that on the morning of June 16th, 1976, thousands of high-school students from the town of Soweto, gathered at their schools to participate in an organized protest demonstration in which was set up by the students. They then proceeded to Orlando Stadium for a rally to protest against having to learn through Afrikaans in school. The numbers were between 10,000 and 20,000 students. They were peaceful and many carried signs with messages such as ‘Down with Afrikaans’, ‘Bantu Education – to Hell with it’, ‘Viva Azania’ and ‘If we must do Afrikaans, Vorster must do Zulu’. Those without signs joined in with freedom songs as they continued to march towards the stadium. There are many speculations as to how the violence broke out between the protesters and the police, however it is known that both sides incited violence. The police were trying to force the students to go back and when they didn't comply, they released their dogs on them. The students them stoned the dogs to death which led to the police firing shots into the crowd. One of the first students to have been killed that day was 13 year old, Hector Pieterson and he became a major symbol for the Soweto uprising. On the first day alone there were 23 deaths including two white people. Later on in the day students then targeted bottle stores and beer halls as they were seen as ‘outposts’ of the apartheid government. However by nightfall the violence had diminished as police vans and armored vehicles patrolled the streets throughout the night.
On the second day of the riots, the violence had spread to African towns the West Rand and Johannesburg. On the third day of the riots, police had begun to arrest youth protesters, placing them in prisons and through the testimony of students, we know that they were tortured whilst imprisoned. The protests were now a nationwide youth uprising against apartheid oppression, the high school children had started a movement.
The immediate cause for the uprising was the student opposition to a decree issued by the Bantu Education Department in 1953, the Bantu Education Act. This act was a segregation law which legalized several aspects of the apartheid system. One major provision was that it enforced racially separated educational facilities. In 1959 this extended to universities with non-white universities and colleges with the Extension of University Education Act. However the most immediate cause for the march was the fact that Afrikaans was now compulsory alongside English as a medium of instruction in schools in 1974.The result was an immediate protest against apartheid, and this was led by high-school students in what is known as the Soweto Riots of 1976. The riots were the most brutal and violent riots in which had taken place against the apartheid administration. The spread of the riots quickly reached across South Africa at an alarming rate and news of the police's actions during the riots instigated a world-wide boycott of South African produce and also signaled the increased militancy of the black population of South Africa.
What happened during the riots was that on the morning of June 16th, 1976, thousands of high-school students from the town of Soweto, gathered at their schools to participate in an organized protest demonstration in which was set up by the students. They then proceeded to Orlando Stadium for a rally to protest against having to learn through Afrikaans in school. The numbers were between 10,000 and 20,000 students. They were peaceful and many carried signs with messages such as ‘Down with Afrikaans’, ‘Bantu Education – to Hell with it’, ‘Viva Azania’ and ‘If we must do Afrikaans, Vorster must do Zulu’. Those without signs joined in with freedom songs as they continued to march towards the stadium. There are many speculations as to how the violence broke out between the protesters and the police, however it is known that both sides incited violence. The police were trying to force the students to go back and when they didn't comply, they released their dogs on them. The students them stoned the dogs to death which led to the police firing shots into the crowd. One of the first students to have been killed that day was 13 year old, Hector Pieterson and he became a major symbol for the Soweto uprising. On the first day alone there were 23 deaths including two white people. Later on in the day students then targeted bottle stores and beer halls as they were seen as ‘outposts’ of the apartheid government. However by nightfall the violence had diminished as police vans and armored vehicles patrolled the streets throughout the night.
On the second day of the riots, the violence had spread to African towns the West Rand and Johannesburg. On the third day of the riots, police had begun to arrest youth protesters, placing them in prisons and through the testimony of students, we know that they were tortured whilst imprisoned. The protests were now a nationwide youth uprising against apartheid oppression, the high school children had started a movement.
The aftermath of the riots had dire consequences
on the Apartheid ruled government. Pictures emerged of the police firing on the
peaceful students protesting, thus exposing South Africa to the world leading
to an international revulsion against the country. The killing of the school
children on that day shocked the international community as this had been
exposed throughout the worlds numerous newspapers showing the photograph of a
dying Hector Pieterson on their front pages. Whilst the police continued there
night patrols, they were ordered to shoot to kill for the sake of 'law and
order'. The next day, it had been exposed that another eleven people had been
shot dead. The students responded through throwing stones at the police,
attacking what they saw as apartheid outposts.
Overall, according to the government-appointed Cillie Commission of Enquiry, over 575 people died with police action accounting for 451 of those deaths. Over 3907 people were injured with the police being responsible for over 2389 of those whom were injured. At the peak of the uprising, it was reported that over 250000 people in Soweto were actively involved in the resistance. The Soweto uprising had a major role in exposing South Africa's apartheid-run government and this resulted in a worldwide boycott of South African produce. The international community had seen the images of police firing at peaceful protesters, the children whom were killed as a result of this and thus were ultimately shocked at the chaos in which had been caused by the apartheid-ruled government. The United Nations acted quickly, trying to abolish the apartheid in which was present in South Africa through getting nations to agree to abstaining from sporting contact with South Africa in December 1968. The United Nations strongly believed that this was the quickest and most immediate way in gained the countries interest thus forcing them to change their ways and to abolish the apartheid-ruled government giving every person the basic human rights and ultimately treating every one as equals, regardless of skin color.
Overall, according to the government-appointed Cillie Commission of Enquiry, over 575 people died with police action accounting for 451 of those deaths. Over 3907 people were injured with the police being responsible for over 2389 of those whom were injured. At the peak of the uprising, it was reported that over 250000 people in Soweto were actively involved in the resistance. The Soweto uprising had a major role in exposing South Africa's apartheid-run government and this resulted in a worldwide boycott of South African produce. The international community had seen the images of police firing at peaceful protesters, the children whom were killed as a result of this and thus were ultimately shocked at the chaos in which had been caused by the apartheid-ruled government. The United Nations acted quickly, trying to abolish the apartheid in which was present in South Africa through getting nations to agree to abstaining from sporting contact with South Africa in December 1968. The United Nations strongly believed that this was the quickest and most immediate way in gained the countries interest thus forcing them to change their ways and to abolish the apartheid-ruled government giving every person the basic human rights and ultimately treating every one as equals, regardless of skin color.