‘Then the firing started’: the Soweto uprising remembered 50 years on

The Guardian UK Tuesday 16 June 2026, 02:00 UTC By Rachel Savage in Soweto 1 min read

Key Points

16 June 1976 is not just another chapter in the history books, nor is its aftermath and legacy, say those who took part and their familiesThe day of 16 June 1976 began peacefully in Soweto. Student leaders at high schools across the sprawling Johannesburg township, to which the apartheid regime had exiled hundreds of thousands of black South Africans, took charge of the morning assemblies. They led their fellow students into the streets and began to march toward Orlando stadium.

16 June 1976 is not just another chapter in the history books, nor is its aftermath and legacy, say those who took part and their families

The day of 16 June 1976 began peacefully in Soweto. Student leaders at high schools across the sprawling Johannesburg township, to which the apartheid regime had exiled hundreds of thousands of black South Africans, took charge of the morning assemblies. They led their fellow students into the streets and began to march toward Orlando stadium.

The students were protesting against the government’s imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. Their teachers barely spoke the white minority language and the students did not want to learn the oppressor’s language. They were tired of the intentionally substandard Bantu education, tired of being second-class citizens.

Soweto (LOCATION) Johannesburg (LOCATION) South Africans (ORG) Orlando (LOCATION) Afrikaans (ORG)

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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‘Then the firing started’: the Soweto uprising remembered 50 years on

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