Interesting facts about Youth Day
Youth Day was initially known as Soweto Day among the supporters of the ANC, but it was officially made a public holiday after Nelson Mandela became president
Today is June 16 and that means young and old across South Africa will be out and about celebrating this public holiday known as Youth Day.
So, in celebration, here are some facts for you to think about!
1. Youth Day is to commemorate the Soweto Uprising of June 16, 1976. This incident is when students of various Sowetan schools began a protest in the streets of Soweto against Bantu Education – the introduction of the Afrikaans language as a medium of instruction in those schools.
2. Youth Day was initially known as Soweto Day among the supporters of the ANC, but it was officially made a public holiday after Nelson Mandela became president in 1994.
The government at that time then chose to call it Youth Day to commemorate the role that the youth played in overcoming the apartheid regime.
3. Hector Pieterson was one of the first students to be killed in the uprising and became an icon of the uprising.
It was the photo above that was taken by Sam Nzima that made Hector the icon of the uprising.
4. While Youth Day is celebrated annually in South Africa on June 16, International Youth Day falls on August 12.
5. Nearly 700 people, mostly adolescents, were murdered by the apartheid government’s police.
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