Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Seth MazibukoIn the news
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
Responsibility: Seth Mazibuko and the author. He fought an unjust system and committed to erect a just one. Photo: Jacques Naude/ANA
SOWETO UPRISING

June 16: A book versus a bullet

Seth Mazibuko, the youngest member of the students' committee that led the peaceful protest in Soweto, shares his poignant memories of the June 16 Uprising, reflecting on its…

  • Abigail Noko
5 min read