The Hector Pieterson Memorial Acre was filled with people from all walks of life on Thursday, 16 June 2022, who had come to learn and remember what this day meant to South African youngsters.
Hundreds of people gathered in the area throughout the day as a variety of activities were held in memory of all those who were murdered and maimed by the apartheid police after marching in the streets 41 years ago against Afrikaans being used as a medium of instruction in black schools.
The day started off early on a crisp morning with a wreath-laying ceremony led by Gauteng Premier David Makhura and the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Mpho Phalatse.
Phalatse emphasised the importance of education, saying, “To our youth, always remember that the education that was fought for was fought for because you cannot rewrite history without an education”.
Cllr Ronald Harris, the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development in the City of Johannesburg, urged the youth to take advantage of opportunities offered to them. He said the youth of 1976 advocated for equal opportunities for everyone to empower and educate themselves.
“The City of Johannesburg appreciates your efforts to encourage learning and equipping the youth to rise up. May you continue to reach out and embrace the City’s support in order to create and be a part of the change that you want, need, and see,” he added.
The wreath-laying ceremony was followed by a gala dinner at Uncle Tom’s Community Centre in the evening to commemorate the museum’s 20th anniversary with local elderly people who witnessed the 1976 Soweto student uprisings.
Mathole Montjane, a local elder, reminisced about witnessing the establishment of the museum. “Witnessing this museum evolve from what it was with just one little office to now being a two-storey red brick building is truly heartwarming.
“As we gather here today, the 1976 Soweto student protests are still fresh in everyone’s minds; it was a watershed moment in the battle against apartheid and everything that white dominance implied, it was the day the youngsters told their elders, ‘Stand aside, we are the future, we are the battle, and we will abolish apartheid’,” he said.
The dinner also included a musical performance by a local jazz band. Later, the museum presented a manuscript for the 20th anniversary book to honour it formal opening 20 years ago.
The museum was created to respect, protect, and conserve history, memory, and to commemorate the youth of 1976 who marched peacefully against apartheid education systems that aimed to employ Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools.
Written by Ntombifuthi Junerose Nkosi
17/06/2022