Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Hector PietersonIn the news
The students planned to gather at Orlando Stadium on 16 June 1976, a vital hub for soccer in Soweto and a cornerstone of black community life under segregation.
SOWETO UPRISING

The Soweto Uprising of 16 June 1976: sport, resistance and global change

On June 16 1976, South Africa witnessed the explosive beginning of the Soweto Uprising, a student-led revolt that would shake the foundations of apartheid and echo across the…

  • Lelo Mzaca
3 min read
That terrible day: Rise ‘76: The Story of June 16th at the Market Theatre is at the Mannie Manim Theatre until 28 June. Photos: Supplied
SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY

Fifty years on, ‘Rise '76’ asks what we still owe the generation of June 16th

Running at the Market Theatre, 'Rise '76: The Story of June 16th' explores the profound impact of the Soweto Uprising through the lens of playwright Tiisetso Mashifane wa Noni.…

  • Kibo Ngowi
9 min read
The book foregrounds “the experiences, the ideas and the reflections of people who were actual participants in 1976, both leading figures but also young people who, on the morning of June 16th, did not see themselves as political activists,” says the author. Photo: Historical Papers Research Archive, University of the Witwatersrand South Africa.
SOUTH AFRICA

The uprising they turned into a party: What Youth Day keeps getting wrong

Every June 16th, South Africa celebrates Youth Day with music and speeches, often reposting the iconic image of Hector Pieterson. But historian Noor Nieftagodien argues these…

  • Kibo Ngowi
8 min read
Honour: The children and young people of 1976 saw through the ruse too and drew a line in the sand. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy
APARTHEID

It is our turn to courageously repay the debt we owe to June 16 champions

Professor Thuli Madonsela reflects on the profound debt owed to the children and young people who confronted the apartheid state on June 16, 1976. She explores whether their…

8 min read
Display of courage: The Hector Pieterson Memorial. To honour those who sacrificed for freedom is to build a future where hope, justice and human dignity are protected. Photo: David Remsen
SOWETO UPRISING

Hector Pieterson dies every day

Sello Hatang, born just before the 1976 Soweto Uprising, reflects on the profound personal and national significance of June 16. He argues that Hector Pieterson's death is not…

  • Sello Hatang
10 min read
Maladministration: It is a sad indictment of the brave efforts of the 1976 cohort of students that in 2026, those who come after them have to cross rivers to get to school.
SOWETO UPRISING

The unfinished business of freedom

Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka reflects on the 50th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, connecting the struggles of 1976 to contemporary challenges in South Africa, including…

  • Kholeka Gcaleka
9 min read
Ill-equipped: The world we are handing our children is faster, louder and more saturated with content and contact than any generation has met this young.
CHILD PROTECTION

We call them youth; they were children

This article reflects on the legacy of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, arguing that we often mistake schoolchildren for 'youth,' and applies this lens to contemporary child protection…

  • Samkelisiwe Mnguni
5 min read