Marching kids, in a mood common to school kids the world over happy that they were not in class, June 16, 1976

Updated: 24 Jul 2019

Marching kids, in a mood common to school kids the world over happy that they were not in class, good naturedly protesting against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction at their schools. They march from Naledi Township, at the south western end of Soweto, collecting others on their route to Orlando East, the north eastern end of the vast complex.
The June 16 Uprisings were a protest by the students against the introduction of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in Black schools. They took place at a time when liberation movements were banned throughout the country and South Africa was in the grip of apartheid. The protest started off peacefully in Soweto but it turned chaotic when the police opened fire on unarmed protesting students. By the third day the unrest had gained momentum and spread to the townships around Soweto and other parts of the country.

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, July 29). Marching kids, in a mood common to school kids the world over happy that they were not in class, June 16, 1976. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/I-0066474

South African History Online (2011) 'Marching kids, in a mood common to school kids the world over happy that they were not in class, June 16, 1976', South African History Online, 29 July. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/I-0066474 (Accessed: 16 September 2026).

South African History Online, Marching kids, in a mood common to school kids the world over happy that they were not in class, June 16, 1976 [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/I-0066474, (accessed 16 September 2026).

"Marching kids, in a mood common to school kids the world over happy that they were not in class, June 16, 1976." South African History Online, 29 July 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/I-0066474. Accessed 16 Sept. 2026.

South African History Online. "Marching kids, in a mood common to school kids the world over happy that they were not in class, June 16, 1976." South African History Online. July 29, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/I-0066474.