As the date for celebrating the events of June 1976 drew closer, people are reminded of what exactly happened on the day.
A Dr Modise Manota who was there and watched the episodes unfolds said, “I was not in the student leadership, but part of the mass of students that rolled the big boulder. This was a huge experience, especially for the then young students from Diepkloof, who were part of the event that shook the world.”
According to Manota, the young men from Diepkloof had gone to Morris Isaacson in search for better education and saw the school as a beacon of hope.
Manota narrated how then the school had excellent Matric results, with Kantseng Morekhure, a young student getting a distinction in Mathematics, and coming from Diepkloof.
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Manota said, “This had some heavy influence in my decision to go to Morris Isaacson. When I discussed this with friends and schoolmates, they also felt Morris Isaacson was the school.”
After passing Grade 10 which was the Junior Certificate back then, Manota and the other learners set off for the prestigious Morris Isaacson. When the schools re-opened in January 1975, Zeke Mashigo, Ewald Manyabeane, and Manota went to Morris Isaacson for registration into Grade 11.
When they got to the school they were surprised to get a horde of other young students from Diepkloof. They got the likes of the late Monere Ntseke, Azikhwelwa Zikalala, Danny Kekana, Elias Mphulo, Tsietsi Maleho, Modise Manota, Thami Nqolobe, Elias Mphulo Lister Manaka, Myrah Matshaba and a few others; who were on the same mission.
Manota said, “After the registration, we were placed in a very old laboratory with shelves full of dirty classes with some chemicals inside. We called this room Animal Farm.”
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When classes started the learners looked forward to something extraordinary; maybe excellent teachers! But there was nothing tangible happening.
Manota said, “There were some extremely bad teachers, average ones, and one or two very good ones. The situation was more or less the same as where we were coming from. But, there was this imperceptible and inexplicable atmosphere of learning hanging over the school.”
By then the school was very proud, boasting professional footballers like Alfred “KK” Kanyane Lentsoane, Hilton Makhubo, Colbert Sobopha, Pro Mkhalipe and Elijah Maema.
In athletics, there were the likes of Brown Keogotsitse, Voice and others. Netball was led by Gail Sono and others. In politics, there were the likes of Ramapepe, Murphy, Tsietsi Mashinini and many others. There were also activities like debates and poetry renditions that were led by a group called Medupi.
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Manota said, “The school was alive! As June 16 drew close, one is tempted to give a perspective from the point of view of someone who was actually there. I was talking to a young friend, Bonolo Ramokhele who was surprised that I was actually there in the march that took place in 1976.”
Monota said that he was not in the leadership, but he was part of the group that went to the usual assembly point in the morning at Morris Isaacson, and instead of singing religious songs, the assembly broke into a political song.
That’s when Murphy and Tsietsi jumped quickly a step in front of students, whispered a few words to the principal, and addressed us.
They outlined plans for the day: they were to go on a peaceful march in the morning, and later in the day they would come back to honour their Wednesday sports fixtures. The march would be peaceful so that they wouldn’t give the police a chance to kill them.
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Manota said, “Personally I believed every word they said. I also believed that police would never shoot school children. We arrived at Matseke High School around midday.
“By then the group was so large and animated that some of us did not have the patience to push through the gate that led into Matseke High School. The alternative was to jump the fence and head straight for the classes where we found students writing June exams.”
As the learners were busy disrupting exams, they got a message that the police were outside. When they got out they saw them about 120 meters away from the crowd, still trying to position themselves. The learners viewed their presence as a provocation and an unnecessary show of strength, and immediately they challenged them wanting them to go away.
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When they did not get the message, they threw stones at them, and according to Manota, that is when all hell broke loose. The cops came forward shooting, led by one with a black police dog on a leash.
When the police with a dog realized that he had gone too far, he let loose the dog which went straight into the crowd, and he ran for his life. In a few minutes, the dead dog was thrown back to the police. At that point, the situation was growing real bad.
On realizing that the police were indeed shooting and using live ammunition and that in fact, a few students had already been shot dead, Manota said, “We started scattering in all directions, running for our dear lives. There was this light blue sedan with a white policeman sitting at the window with a gun in hand, shooting incessantly.”
A group of students climbed the fence at Matseke and went for the hill behind the school as the white policeman was still shooting. When they reached the hill, they took a breath and realized that they were quite many.
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Manota said, “A few seconds on the hill a police helicopter coming for us, almost touching our heads with police hanging out and wielding guns. I have never been so scared in my life, staring death in the eyes.”
Again the learners started dashing for their own dear young lives, heading for Orlando West. When they got there, there was complete mayhem, with students running completely mad. All this time, surprisingly, Zek Mashigo, Azikhwelwa Zikalala, Ewald Manyabeane and Manota stuck together.
After meandering through the streets of Orlando west and realizing that the police had somehow retreated to some open space between Orlando East and Orlando West, they got an opening to cross into Orlando East and head for Diepkloof, telling everybody who cared to listen about what was happening in Orlando West.
Manota added how when they arrived at Diepkloof, it was like a completely different world; but already information was starting to spread.
Manota said, “That night when I went to bed my heart was still pounding.”
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