UnderGround Theory: June 16 Series - Background

Today, several organisations and individuals have claimed responsibility for the uprising. However, events prior to June 16 1976 will show that no one other than the students themselves, under the leadership of the South African Students Movement (SASM), can claim responsibility. To this end, we will look at events prior to the day in terms of:

-Political trends obtaining at that time
-The Afrikaans Issue

POLITICAL TRENDS
The political balance was shifting significantly against the South African Government through a process that began with strikes in Natal, Transvaal and the Cape in 1972. In neighbouring states, Frelimo in Mozambique and the MPLA in Angola began their guerilla war against their oppressive governments. This inspired black people inside South Africa who saw other oppressed people fighting oppression and racism.
Another philosophy had begun to take root inside the country under the leadership of Steve Biko. Black Consciousness was a philosophy of black pride and a commitment to the fight for freedom. The South African Students Organisation, which played a major role in the events leading to the June 16 uprising, was born out of this philosophy.
From its inception, the South African Students Organisation (SASO) had initially placed emphasis on the psychological liberation, which was the driving force behind the student uprisings of 1976

All Black organisations that were operating above the board in that period were doing so under the broad banner of Black Consciousness (B.C.) – there was this common understanding and approach to the liberation of the country. Even organisations such as Inkatha Cultural Movement, which were at odds with the B.C.M. on a number of issues – such as operating within the Bantustan system, were appreciative of B.C.

Thus prior to 1976, the Black Community did not have the political cleavages currently obtaining. Consultations were held across known political affiliations. Therefore, the Black People’s Convention (B.P.C.) could easily consult with the known members of other organisations.

THE AFRIKAANS ISSUE

If there is anybody who could claim responsibility for the June 16 1976 Uprisings, it could be Dr Andries Treurnicht, who was then Deputy Minister of Bantu Administration, Development and Education in charge of Bantu Education, under Minister M.C. Botha. His Memorandum to School Boards, Inspectors and Principals instructing them to use Afrikaans as the medium of instruction was the direct cause of unrest.

The first group to respond to these instructions was the Tswana School Boards. As early as January 1976, these school boards in Meadowlands, Dobsonville and other areas under the Tswana School Boards had taken an attitude towards this instruction. An excerpt taken from the minutes of the Meadowlands Tswana School Board of the 20 January 1976 is instructive:

“In urban areas the education of a black child is being paid for by the White population, that is English and Afrikaans speaking people…” “…In future, if schools teach through a medium not prescribed by the department for a particular subject, examination question papers will only be set in the medium with no other option of other language.”

The objection of Tswana school boards was the control of their school boards had shifted to the Bophuthatswana government in terms of government legislation and that the central government no longer had any jurisdiction on them.

The B.P.C., through its Secretary General, Thandisizwe Mazibuko, participated in all meetings called by the Tswana School Board, together with Thomas Manthata in his capacity as an official of the Council of Churches. As a matter of fact, at the time of the outbreak of the unrest, the B.P.C. and the Tswana school board had engaged services of a lawyer to work on an interdict against the Minister.

In the meantime, the students in SOWETO had formed the Student Representative Council (S.R.C.)

The B.P.C. was in a better position to liaise with the S.R.C. in that some members of the organisation had been teachers in some of the Soweto High Schools like Ntoane, Naledi and Orlando West High.

It must however be made very clear that the planning of the march was left to the students. The weekend before the fateful June 16 day, a meeting was held between the students and members of the B.P.C. to finalise the strategy for the march.

Earlier I mentioned that the cornerstone of the B.C. philosophy was psychological liberation. The Afrikaans Issue was seen by the community and students at a large as part of a strategy National Party to oppress Black people psychologically. Thus, ways and means had to be found to counter this threat. The war of psychological liberation was therefore imminent. - by Oblivious Truth.