Pictured are Wadzanai (Unisa NSRC Representative), Paulina Buyeye-Mahale (ex-Pretoria 12 Eleven Men & One Woman Terrorism Act Trialist); Prof Ali Khangela Hlongwane (Deputy Director: Museums & Galleries: Arts, Culture & Heritage); Tharollo Seatlholo (Chairperson of Khotso Seatlholo Foundation); Joe Latakgomo (Public Advocate on the Press Council of South Africa & founding editor of The Sowetan); Zandi Radebe (Department of Political Sciences, Unisa), Prof Russel Viljoen (Chair of Department: History, Unisa) and Prof Kealeboga Maphunye (Department of Political Sciences, Unisa).

“Forty-two years after the historic events on the 1976 Soweto uprisings, South Africans need to take stock of the achievements while equally acknowledging the setbacks to the 1976 students’ project, said Professor Kealeboga Maphunye from the Department of Political Sciences. He was reflecting on a Youth Month project that Unisa’s Departments of History and Political Sciences together with the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation collaborated on. In his reflections, he said it was important to recognise and celebrate the heroic efforts of the 1976 generation, but a key question to ask is, “Do the laws, policies, practices, and attitudes of the present generation enhance or impede the ideals of the 1976 youth and student generation?”

Professor Maphunye said that the main aim of this year’s seminar, entitled: Marches, Movements and Memories: Soweto, 16 June 1976, was to maintain the limelight on the historic roles of the June 1976 and subsequent generations. It therefore served as Unisa’s efforts at contributing to the national efforts at recognising the sacrifices of the 1976 generation.

The seminar comprised of a panel discussion with the following speakers:

• Joe Latakgomo (Public Advocate on the Press Council of South Africa & founding editor of The Sowetan), who reflected on “The Power of the Media in a Changing Political Environment:  How coverage of June 16, 1976 changed the South African Political landscape”.
• Tharollo Seatlholo (Chairperson: Khotso Seatlholo Foundation) who spoke on “Why did the Afrikaners impose their language on us? A Voyage to Erased History, Neglected Identity and Diminished Intelligence”.
• Professor Ali Khangela Hlongwane (Deputy Director: Museums & Galleries:  Arts, Culture & Heritage) who addressed: “Autobiography, Society and the June 16, 1976 Uprising”.
• Paulina Buyeye-Mohale (ex-Pretoria 12 Eleven Men & One Woman Terrorism Act Trialist) who discussed: “Experiences of a woman in Solitary confinement facing Death Penalty and Terrorism Charges in Pretoria Maximum Prison”.

Some of the questions addressed during the seminar included: 

1. What were the 16^th June 1976 and subsequent marches all about?
2. What is the “best” way to honour the legacies of 16^th June and other similar student uprisings?
3. To what extent have the sacrifices of the 1976 Soweto and subsequent youths and students in post-1994 South Africa enjoyed recognition and acknowledgement?
4. What lessons, if any, can be learnt from the activism of the 1976 generations to address contemporary challenges, dilemmas and impediments to our freedom struggles?
5. To what extent do the contemporary history and other curricula promote or impede transformation, democratisation and Africanisation in South Africa’s education system?
6. How should the education stakeholders tackle language related transformation issues?
7. How far should language be changed in SA’s education system so as to achieve the ideals of the 1976 youths and students?
8. What is the contribution of the media in helping to realise media rights and freedom of speech after 1994?
9. To what extent have the negative effects of imprisonment, detention without trial, torture and death penalty affected the socio-political, historical and psychological well-being of citizens in post-1994 South Africa?
10. What lessons can be drawn from and for Africa in terms of student activism and commitment to fight for a just society under a repressive state or system?

Another other event linked to the seminar was the screening of a documentary on Tsietsi Mashinini, leader of the 1976 Soweto Students Uprisings, at the Morris Isaacson High School. The aim was to share knowledge and ideas with the learners of the historic school which the first President of the Soweto Student’s Representative Council (SSRC) attended. The event was also attended by former SSRC President, Trofomo Sono; Former Action Committee Member and Tsietsi Mashinini’s deputy, Barney Mokgatle, with inputs from Tharollo Seatlholo, Khotso Seatlholo Foundation.

*Compiled by Rivonia Naidu-Hoffmeester