The following was featured in a special Youth Day supplement that will be included with our next issue of uManyano lwaBasebenzi.
June 16 holds great significance in the history of South Africa; on this day in 1976, brave school students stood up against the apartheid system in the face of deadly force from the police and inspired the entire working class for generations to come. Millions of people were radicalised over the year and a half of heightened political activity that followed across the country. Between 1976 and 1978 the working class learned many lessons that helped to eventually overthrow apartheid in 1994. This uprising not only shed light on the challenges faced by black people but also showed how effective the working class could be when united.
The uprisings that began on 16 June were a response to the oppressive apartheid regime and its racist education system. Under Apartheid, black South Africans faced discrimination, exploitation, limited opportunities, and extreme racial oppression. The government’s Bantu Education policy introduced in 1953 was designed to ensure that black people had only the most basic training, thereby trapping them in low-skilled jobs and poverty. The introduction of the Afrikaans Medium Decree in 1974, which mandated teaching in Afrikaans, broke the camel’s back and sparked widespread resistance.
Students not only recognised that this language policy aimed to suppress the cultural identity and aspirations of black youth, but that it was connected to the same reasons education for African children was intentionally underfunded. Students began boycotting classes and engaging through organisations that they formed such as the South African Student Movement (SASM). On June 13, the SASM called for mass demonstrations to take place on June 16 at Orlando Stadium.
Thousands of school students, mostly from Soweto but also from other townships, took to the streets in a peaceful march to Orlando stadium. Recognising the threat this posed to the regime, the apartheid authorities responded with excessive force. The security forces attacked the demonstrators using tear gas, batons, and even live ammunition against the unarmed students. The heartbreaking image of Hector Pieterson, a twelve-year-old who was murdered by police, became a symbol of the sacrifices made by the youth in their fight for freedom.
The June 16 uprisings in South Africa marked a turning point in the struggle against apartheid. The challenges faced by black people and the imposition of Afrikaans as a language of instruction fueled mass anger which led to protests. The harsh response by the authorities only strengthened the resolve of the demonstrators and shed light on the injustices perpetrated by the apartheid regime. Although the regime moved to reverse the language policy, it was too late; the political landscape had changed.
The youth and students of the time were influenced by the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM), and this gave them the confidence to act on the injustices of apartheid and unite beyond tribal divisions that were used by the regime to suppress mass struggle. However as with many revolutionary moments, lessons are learnt very quickly in the course of struggle. The limitations of the BCM became clear, and the youth learnt that in order to take the struggle forward they needed to connect with the workers – their parents and their communities – who were also oppressed by the apartheid system. Workers were not only oppressed as black people, but as a class in and of itself. Moreover, worsening economic conditions and attacks on workers’ rights added to people’s discontent. The struggle necessarily had to expand beyond schools and campuses.
Workers, some of whom had lost children to police brutality on June 16 also joined the uprisings. By June 22, 1000 workers at the Chrysler factory had downed tools in support. By the end of the uprisings 20 months later, the school students had made massive gains in breaking down the regime’s divide-and-rule tactics. They did this by linking up with workers, even reaching out to Zulu migrant workers who the regime had previously lied to.
The uprisings quickly spread across the country, igniting a wave of resistance against apartheid. The bravery and determination shown by the young protesters challenged the unjust system and fueled the momentum for change. The need for a fighting programme against the capitalist system upon which apartheid was built became clear if they were to sustain the momentum of the actions. The workers in turn brought to the struggle the ability to halt the production of wealth through strikes and downing tools, as well as a crucial class consciousness around the system as a whole. This was most clearly shown in the 80s at the height of the struggle against apartheid, where the movement did not only demand the liberation and rights of the black majority, but an entirely different economic system, with the prominent slogan: “Freedom means socialism”.
The impact of the June 16 uprisings left a lasting impression on South Africa. The courageous actions of the young demonstrators inspired future generations to stand up against injustice and oppression and added crucial momentum to the struggle to overthrow the apartheid regime entirely. These uprisings laid the foundation for subsequent movements, such as the #FeesMustFall campaign, led by students advocating for affordable and accessible higher education.
The spirit of June 16 continues to resonate throughout South African society, reminding people of the power of unity and collective action. Today’s youth draw inspiration from the bravery of those who came before them, understanding that they too can bring about change through determined struggle.
We need to draw out the lessons from the Soweto Uprisings in order to build a militant and effective movement to deal the final blow to capitalism. These lessons include the centrality of the working class as the most powerful force in society, which has the power to bring the system to its knees, and the importance of mobilising young people, workers, and their communities in order to build a movement that is owned by the people.
WASP and the Socialist Youth Movement is active across the country, organising youth and students, workers and communities, guided by the understanding that there is no future under capitalism. Join the fight to overthrow oppression for a socialist future.
