JUNE 16 1976 REJUVENATED THE STRUGGLES FOR A FREE AND EQUAL SOCIETY

(PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN) '

June 16 2022

When the school children of Soweto marched from school to school on June 16 1976 to protest against the imposition of Afrikaans and the unequal and inferior education system at that time, they not only rejuvenated the liberation struggles but also stimulated and propelled black journalists into action. 

A few weeks after Hector Peterson and more than a 1 000 others were mowed down by the apartheid soldiers and wounded hundreds of others in Soweto and other townships, black journalists decided that they had to become "activist journalists" in the struggles against white minority rule and domination. A number of them, including this correspondent, assembled at a secret venue in Soweto and launched the Union of Black Journalists(UBJ). 

At this time I was working for the Durban Daily News.

On June 16 (2022) it will be 46 years when the school children of Soweto took to the streets to demand equal education and a free society for all. 

It was a day when thousands of young children sacrificed their lives for the freedom we enjoy today. The marches started off as a peaceful protest but quickly deteriorated into one of the most brutal and violent periods in our history when the apartheid police machinary let loose their vicious dogs and opened fire on the unarmed students. 

                                        (Photographer Sam Nzima)              

  

One of the first casualties was 15-year-old Hector Peterson. This sparked an uprising that spread throughout the Johannesburg region and to other parts of the country. More than 1 000 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured over the next few weeks. In the aftermath of the Soweto uprisings and protests around the country, education leaders and teachers organisations came out strongly  against the unjust and inferior education system for the black majority. 

One of the first leaders I had spoken to at this time was Diliza Mji, who was studying medicine at the University of Natal in Durban. He was president of the South African Students Organisation (SASO) at this time. He came out strongly against the then Minister of Justice, Mr Jimmy Kruger, for blaming the black consciousness movement for the uprisings all over the country. The article was published on June 24 1976 under the headline: “Riots were not planned – SASO Chief: 

                                         “RIOTS WERE NOT PLANNED – SASO CHIEF”

At the same time the leader of the Natal African Teachers’ Union, Mr Theo Shandu, warned on several occasions that “frustration and bitterness” was rife among the people. The first article on June 28 1976 was published under the headline:    

“Bitterness warning from teacher chief”.

Mr B A Naidoo, who was a leader of Child Welfare in South Africa, at that time came out strongly against racial divisions in education when he addressed the 50th anniversary of the South African Indian Teachers Association in Durban on July 7 1976. The article was published under the headline: “Racial split-up of education ‘issue of great concern’.

On July 8 1976, I wrote another article about Mr Theo Shandu condemning the white regime’s policy on African education and the imposition of apartheid. He made the statement when addressing a conference of the South African Indian Teachers’ Association (SAITA) in Durban. The story was published under the headline: “State school views ‘impede Blacks’.”

“COLOUREDS ‘CONDEMN’ AFRIKAANS” At the same meeting of SAITA, one of the country’s most prominent anti-apartheid poets, Dr Adam Small, disclosed that young people looked at Afrikaans as the language of the “baas” and the “oppressor”. This article was published on July 9 1976 under the headline: “Coloureds ‘condemn’ Afrikaans”.

At the same conference, a former president of SAITA, Mr R S Naidoo, warned that the people of Indian-origin were losing their “consensus” on important political and social issues. This article was published under the headline: “Communication lines ‘blocked’.” The SAITA leaders at this conference passed a resolution calling on the apartheid regime to eradicate racialism in schools. This article was published on July 22 1976 under the headline: “Indians want school race curbs dropped”.

Students at the former University of Durban-Westville also came out in support of the struggles for a better and fair education system when they embarked on boycott of lectures. 

The students also decided to embark on their protest action in support of three fellow students who were detained by the security police. The students taken into security police custody were Mr Lloyd Padaychi, Mr Yunus Carrim, and Mr Rashid Meer, son of Professor Fatima Meer, who was banned for five years only a week earlier on July 23 1976. I wrote these articles that were published under the headlines: “Indian students continue boycott” (August 16 1976); “Students were not intimidated, say university boycott leaders” (July 18 1976); “Africans shocked at Fatima Meer banning” (July 23 1976); and “Lectures boycott will end tomorrow (July 17 1976).

Student leaders at the University of Natal, for their part, decided to quit their positions because of the apathy of most students regarding the situation in the country. This article was published under the headline: “Student leaders quit in disgust at apathy” on July 18 1976.

At the Natal Medical School, the students also embarked on boycott of lectures following the detention of their leaders. Those detained were Diliza Mji, immediate former president of SASO; David Dube, chairman of the Happy Valley Clinical Committee; Mr R Taole, Mr Norman Dubizane and Mr Leslie Gumede. 

This article was published under the headline: “No action to be taken against boycott students”.

The apartheid regime continued with its repression and detained more activists and transported them to Johannesburg for imprisonment at the Fort and other prisons. Others who were detained were Mr Vitu Mvelase, chairman of the Umlazi Residents’ Association; Mr David Gaza; Mr George Sithole; Mr Bobby Mari, who worked at the Institute for Black Research in Durban; Mr Govin Reddy, research officer at the Institute of Race Relations; and Mr Wiseman Khuzwayo, a law student at the University of Zululand. 

Despite the bannings and detentions, other anti-apartheid forces came out strongly against the vicious actions of the apartheid regime. The president of the Natal Indian Congress, Mr M J Naidoo, condemned the apartheid regime for denying the majority of the people their rights. At the same time black teacher organisations called for greater inter-action between the organisations to counter the denial of equal education for all. Mr Naidoo’s article was published on September 10 under the headline: “Vorster slammed for denying Blacks a voice”; on September 10 1976 and the teachers article was published under the headline: “Teachers welcome all-race contact move” on September 6 1976. 

The NIC went on to become one of the formidable opponents of the regime along with the United Democratic Front(UDF) and anti-apartheid sports organisations.

At the end of September 1976, the apartheid security police went onto to detain Mr Terrence Tyron, secretary general of SASO. This article was published under the headline: “Police detain top SASO official” on September 27 1976.

One of the most influential religious leaders at this time, Rev B K Dludla, who had just been elected president of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, warned the Vorster Government that its “racial” policies were responsible for the students and others embarking on protest actions. This article was published on October 20 1976 under the headline: “”Unrest fault of Vorster – Minister”.

The bannings, restrictions and harassment of the anti-apartheid activists continued despite the release of the detained leaders and activists in the December of 1976. Three of the seven Durban detainees who were released after being held for more than four months in Johannesburg were banned and house-arrested. They included Mr George Sithole; Mr Govin Reddy and Mr Rashid Meer. This article was published on December 19 1976 under the headline: “Three freed Durban men are banned”.

One of the leaders of the protests on that fateful date of June 1976 was Dan Montsisi, who was an official of the South African Students Movement and later a senior official of the Soweto Students Representative Council. I spoke to Montsisi in June 1986 when the UDF, Cosatu and the National Educational Crisis Committee had organised country wide meetings and a stayaway to observe the 10th anniversary of the Soweto uprisings. 

 "When we marched from one school to another our intention was to arrive at the offices of Mr Roussouw who was the the Southern Transvaal inspector of education. But before we could reach or go past the Orlando Stadium we were confronted by the physical violence of the police. They had actually come to shoot at us and not to talk. They did not come with loud hailers or to come and talk to us as to why we were marching. Much as we regret the number of lives that were lost and innocent people's properties damaged, it must be realised that the government did not meet a single demand of the people concerning a proper educational system." 

 Montsisi, who joined the ANC after the release of Nelson Mandela and the unbanning of the organisation in February 1990, told me that the 1976 uprisings had led to the people becoming determined more than ever to overthrow the white minority regime. 

  "Since we were able to build such important structures as the UDF, Cosatu and the National Educational Crisis Committee it actually shows the extent to which our people have been organised since 1976. So these are signs which makes us to be optimistic about the future we are heading to." 

  I also spoke to another former student who took part in the Soweto students' uprising, Murphy Morobe, who later became one of the senior leaders of the UDF. Morobe also joined the post-apartheid Government. In 1986, the UDF together with Cosatu and the NECC organised a series of meetings to commemmorate the 1976 uprisings. 

 "We have actually arrived at a common approach to June 16 commemorations and we call upon on all the freedom-loving people of our land and countries all over the world to commemmorate June 16 in a manner befitting the occasion. We are going to be remembering our gallant sons and daughters who took to the streets of Soweto and elsewhere to demonstrate their abhorrence of the inferior Bantu education system. To us it was no ordinary march. It was a march in quest of freedom. "The battery of savage repression which was unleashed on our students failed to reverse the tide of history." 

In his statement - Morobe also emphasised that the white minority regime would not cow the people into submission. 

  "The banning of the popular Congress of South African Students (Cosas) has not succeeded in cowing the student movement. Our democratic student movement is now more than ever before is poised to intensify the struggle for people's education. "To Cosatu, the UDF and the NECC the struggle for people's education forms vital part of the broader struggle for a South Africa free of political oppression and economic exploitation." 

Today, 46 years later, South Africans have much to be proud of. But, although we don't have to put up with any oppressive policies, there are, however, concerns that the quality of education in our public schools is nothing to boast of. While the well-heeled, the rich and the political elite can afford private education for their children, the vast majority of children are still struggling for the kind of quality education that the children of Soweto and other townships paid dearly with their lives. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com June 16 2022