Soweto Uprising

Question 1

What were the contributing causes of the Soweto uprising (mnemonic: All Students Begin To Object)

Answer 1

• constant hardship of life under the Apartheid Regime
• life in the overcrowded and under resourced Soweto
• inferiority and humiliation of Bantu education
• growing Trade Union action
  Drop in Oil prices pushed prices up in SA- life becomes even harder for the poor
  Philosophy of the BCM

Question 2

What were the immediate causes of the Soweto uprising

Answer 2

• Children were expected to learn in a language with which they even less familiar than english
• Pass rates showed that the hope of actually achieving a Matric became even more distant
• Afrikaans was the language of the oppressors

Question 3

What were the evens of 16 June 1976

Answer 3

• Police fired into the crown of protesting, unarmed, largely peaceful students
• Hastings Ndlovu and hector Pietersen killed
• Soweto erupted in violence and violence spread to other townships.

Question 4

What were the results and significance of the Soweto uprising mnemonic: (School Students Riot And Make Many Ripples)

Answer 4

‘The beginning of the end of apartheid’

• Shocks the world (photos): how can it be justified as a fight against communism
• beginning of Sanctions against SA
• government forced to Reverse Afrikaans policy
• Adults inspired by determination and courage. Step back into activism
• became a decade of Mass protest
• students leave SA to train in MK or Poqo
• size of threat is seen in government’s Reaction: banned all BCM organisations, SASO, SASM, BPA and SSRC