#Revisit1976SowetoUprising: Different generations, different views
The impact of the Bantu Education System felt in Soweto to Westbury.
When speaking about June 16, 1976, the Soweto Youth Uprising, it’s safe to say that the day brings different emotions to different generations.
For the ones who we present in 1976, the residents don’t always want to talk about what took place because it brings back sad memories.
We interview two of our youth of today and then we look back at two residents who shared their youth day experience in 1976.
We asked both Marcelle Smith and Glory Mogodi what youth day means to them, Smith said: “Youth Day for me, is just another public holiday.
“I feel that throughout its years the day just lost its significance because of the lack of understanding on what took place in 1976 so our generation and the generation to come won’t know much about it because it’s not celebrated as it used to.”
Mogodi shared: “Youth Day means a lot to me; it reminds me that people like Steve Biko fought for all of us so that we can be here today. “I believe that the day needs to be celebrated with honour and respect and I usually celebrate the day at church and we wear our school uniform to represent the youth of 1976 and their fight for us.”
Councillor Basil Douglas who was 14 years old in 1976 and Hubert Beckett who was 10 years old in 1976.
Douglas explained: “I remember that it was on a Wednesday, we were at school but we were already conscientised in the Black Consciousness Movement and we just saw people from Diepkloof and Orlando coming to us to ask us to join them because they were going to John Vorster Square, as we were marching along, we had white boy soldiers blocking the road and they started shooting at us.
“I lost six friends on that day. Its terrible memories, and we never had the opportunity to go for counselling or therapy.”
“The Afrikaans language wasn’t our main focus but Buntu and Coloured inferior education and the facilities were.
“We participated as Noordgesig because we have a common history with Soweto. It was a very bad day; one could only hear and duck gunshots of live ammunition as there was no rubber bullets and birdshot there.
“What does a soldier know of public order policies? They are trained to kill,” said Douglas.
The Councillor added that the day is still a very traumatising day. “Others have now transformed a solemn occasion to a day of music and dance.
“I can’t celebrate the deaths of innocent people. I mourn them,” explained Douglas.
[also read] – Ward Councillor Fazel Jaffer educates about the role of local ward councillors
Beckett remembers the day very vaguely but says that it had a very morbid atmosphere.
“The sky was filled with smoke, teargas and everyone running around screaming.
“Even if you wanted to go to the dustbin at home, you had to crawl or walk next to the walls because the Jeeps were roaming the streets looking for information from students.
“They wanted the students to give them the names of the instigators at the schools.
“Even just going to the dustbin outside, your eyes and cheeks would be burning from the teargas.
“There was teargas, helicopters, gunshots going off, people screaming and at the time when I reached High school my friends ran to the toilets to hide from the police, they blocked the doors and the police ran to the toilets with their dogs but they managed to get into the toilets.
“One of my friends had no way to escape while the others jumped out of the windows, he hit the police dogs with his fists and that is how he escaped from the police and their dogs,” explained Beckett.
According to Beckett, they use to peep through the windows at school and could see journalists at the shops in Riverlea with their big cameras zooming into the classes, taking photos and trying to identify who the instigators behind the boycotts were.
“Every year on June 16 even when I attended Westbury High, they use to write June 16 all over the walls at the school and the flats, this was to indicate that there will be a boycott on that day.
So, every year on that day it was the same occurrences with the teargas, shooting, the nerves, parents panicking for their children, so June 16 is still a sad day that I reflect on,” concluded Beckett.
With the four interviews of the residents one can see the differences in generations and the significance or insignificance of the Youth Day. Former policewoman Annetjie du Toit said that she experienced the horrors of youth day but believes that its important for the youth to reflect on and learn about how impactful the youth of 1976 was.
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