LEANDRA – SS Mushayisa Primary School celebrated Youth Day on Wednesday, 15 June.
The event was aimed at teaching pupils about the history of the 1976 Soweto youth uprising and the reason thereof.
Teachers also sang struggle songs.
Ms Fikile Nyembe, a councillor, also attended the event and told the story of June 16.
During her speech she said the previous government forced black children to learn all subjects in Afrikaans, but what is still surprising is that even today, their children cannot speak African languages.
“The fight was not only about the language, but also the fact that they did not have resources at schools, such as laboratories,” she said.
She further said that the police continued to shoot at the youth, though they could see that they did not have anything to fight back with, because they only had placards.
“The most painful thing is we do not know where the young man is that we always see on photos carrying the young boy, Hector Peterson. Nobody knows whether he is still alive or dead,” said Ms Nyembe.
Some teachers said in the old days they used to attend school in garages and churches, because they did not have enough schools to accommodate all pupils.
Ms Nyembe urged pupils to protect their schools and other resources meant to help them have better future.
Pupils could not stop giggling when their principal and teachers danced Sarafina for them.
