VIDEOS & VIEWS OF YOUTH | SA marks 45th anniversary after famous “Soweto Uprising” occurred in 1976
By Mcebo Makhaye
South African youth are commemorating exactly the 45th anniversary of the well-known June 16, in an unprecedented style due to the stubborn-stressing coronavirus.
This comes two days after South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa said that the sacrifices of the 1976 generation, the opportunity “young black men and women have today are vastly different and greatly improved”.
Rewinding back to 1976, thousands of Soweto pupils took to the streets in protest against the introduction of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in black schools.
During this day, protests officially claimed 23 lives including Pieterson and Hastings Ndlovu, but this number has been disputed by many who think the authorities covered up a much higher number of deaths.
In pursuit of reconciliation, the South African government declared June 16 as the public holiday and called it the “Youth Day”.
Taking back down memory lane, the following are the popular pictures of the Soweto Uprising protest:
In a video clips, here are the views of the youth and students from the Durban University of Technology about how they feel about the Youth Day:
On social media platforms like Twitter, tweeps expressed split views about the youth day. Some stressed that there is nothing to celebrate because the youth of the country affected by the large unemployment rates. While some praised the class of 1976 for fighting for education, equality, and racism.
Following are the sentiments of the tweeps:
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa said ‘Youth Day’ needed to serve as a reminder of the power that lies in the youth to create a better future for themselves.
Compiled by Mcebo Makhaye.
