‘Then the firing started’: the Soweto uprising remembered 50 years on

Key Points:

• On 16 June 1976, thousands of Soweto high school students protested against the apartheid government's imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction, leading to a violent crackdown by police and dozens of deaths, marking the start of the Soweto uprising.
• The protest began peacefully with students singing struggle songs, but escalated when police used teargas, dogs, and live ammunition, killing young protesters including 12-year-old Hector Pieterson, whose iconic photo became a symbol of the uprising.
• The official death toll was 23, but estimates suggest over 200 were killed that day, with unrest spreading nationwide and thousands of students fleeing South Africa to join the ANC's armed resistance.
• Many activists, like Kingsley Mamabolo and Sibongile Mkhabela, endured imprisonment, solitary confinement, torture, and exile, with lasting physical and psychological effects, including PTSD for survivors like Oupa Moloto.
• The Soweto uprising revitalized the anti-apartheid movement, creating a new generation of activists and marking a turning point in South Africa's struggle against apartheid, with its legacy still deeply affecting survivors and their families today.