South African blacks consider June 16, 1976, a crucial date in the struggle against apartheid.
On
that day, 20,000 schoolchildren in Soweto, a black township outside
Johannesburg, joined in a march to protest mandatory school use of
Afrikaans, the language of the Afrikaner whites who are descended from
the original Dutch settlers; the nation's other official language is
English.
On
their way to a sports stadium, the Soweto marchers were confronted by
the police. The children hurled stones, shots were fired, and
13-year-old Hector Petersen fell to the ground. A photograph of the boy
being carried away was published throughout the world.
By
late afternoon, schools, shops and government buildings were in flames
throughout Soweto. The police sealed off the township, but rioting soon
engulfed other black townships outside Johannesburg.
Within
four months, violence spread to 160 black townships across South
Africa. The focus shifted from schooling to general opposition to white
rule.
Nationwide
violence continued until April 1977. A Commission of Inquiry said 575
people were killed, 451 by the police. Opposition sources say the true
figure is more than 1,000. The panel put the number of injured at 3,907,
2,389 of them wounded by the police.
Many
black students fled South Africa and made their way to the headquarters
of the African National Congress, a rebel organization with
headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia.
As
for the initial impetus of the riots, the use of Afrikaans in the black
schools, the Government later decided to leave the choice of the
language of instruction up to each school. Afrikaans remains mandatory
for students who want to go on to college.
The New York Times - 1986
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