Tombstone to be unveiled for the first fatality of the Duduza Riots
Beya says the unveiling is important to highlight the efforts of locals during the struggle for freedom and to remember Radebe.
Duduza – The Duduza Class of 1976, who rioted against the use of Afrikaans on June 21, 1976, following the Soweto Riots a week earlier, will be unveiling the tombstone of the first fatality in the Duduza Riots on June 22.
According to a Duduza Class of 1976 executive committee member, Joe Beya, the group was unable to attend the funeral of Bafana Radebe, who was 17 at the time, as many of them had gone into hiding while others had been arrested.
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All of them were banned from the funeral by the police.
“Last year, we had a reunion and realised his grave does not have a tombstone, so we decided to start the Duduza Class of 1976 group so we can reconnect and erect a tombstone for Bafana,” he explains.
The group asked for donations to add to their contributions to raise funds for the tombstone and the unveiling.
“We were helped by Tswelopele Men’s Club and Khosi Burial Society with the funds for the unveiling,” he adds.
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Beya says the unveiling is important to highlight the efforts of locals during the struggle for freedom and to remember Radebe.
The group will meet for a plenary session on June 16 at Zini’s Place on Radebe Street in Duduza, which is also where attendees of the unveiling will meet on June 22.
For more information, contact Puleng Moeketsane on 072 891 5046.
