Constitutional Hill is a well-known heritage site in South Africa. It is one of the many sites in our country which is used to celebrate democracy and freedom.
The history of apartheid in South Africa forms a large part of the school syllabus. The Grade 8 pupils from St Davids High School in Inanda visited Constitution Hill and their responses ranged from interest to extreme sadness. They were asked to describe their experience at the heritage site and their responses were detailed, passionate and emotional.
Adrian Coutinho said that it was very interesting to learn what happened in South Africa before his birth. He said that he was very sad when he realised what had happened in the past and that the treatment of the prisoners during apartheid was cruel.
Owen Govender, another pupil, said that the life of pupils today is easy compared to the life of the pupils who suffered during apartheid.
Refilwe Kglegi said that it made him feel sad, but also reminded him how we have grown as a nation. He added that we need to reflect on the past events of our country so that we can strive to be better as a nation, and treat each other better.
Nzuzo Magagula said that the experience made him realise that, even though we still see problems in our country, there is more equality today than there was in the past. He stated that their generation usually takes for granted what happened in the past, and that learning about the past helps us better appreciate our present.
Stuart Twine tried to put himself into the shoes of the prisoners during the school trip. He said that he realised that young children his age were imprisoned during the struggle. In light of the current affairs issues faced by other countries in the world, Twine said that we should recognise how our country overcame what happened in the past, so that other countries can learn from us and overcome their troubles, too.
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