South Africa will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Student Uprising on Tuesday at a national commemoration in Johannesburg.
The event will take place at the FNB Stadium Open Field in Nasrec under the theme “Reset at 50 – The Future Calls”. It commemorates the student protests against the Bantu Education system and the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.
Families of victims from the 18 June 1976 Alexandra massacre have called for a review of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They say their loved ones remain off national memory lists.
Lucky Mabona, a victim's family member, stated: “If there was another word for it, we wouldn’t call it forgotten. Our people died. It has been almost 50 years and the President has never mentioned us in the State of the Nation Address.”
Youth unemployment stands at 60.9% for those aged 15 to 24, according to recent Statistics South Africa data. Young people today cite struggles over economic emancipation, gender-based violence and education access as their priorities.
