When South Africa was just about to be introduce to the world of television in 1976. The then South African government which was led by the National Party realised that their hold/control over the Majority would be at risk, as television would be presented in English.
They feared that black people would now become more assertive and be rebellious towards the apartheid regime. To curb the threat and to sustain their supremacy, the government decided to pass a law that would make Afrikaans and English as the only compulsory medium of teaching in school with Afrikaans taking precedence.
In January 1976 the whole commotion started, as the parents wrote in to schools asking for their children to be exempted from being taught in Afrikaans, and rather be taught in English. The principals writing to the department of education, explaining that the teachers were not ready as they were also not too inclined unto the Afrikaans language. The situation was becoming chaotic amid the students expressing their displeasure to this new education system.
In June 13 1976 a student group led by Tsietsi Mashinini, organised a mass meeting that planed a march on Wednesday June the 16th, that would protest against this education system. We all have an Idea of what happened on June the 16th 1976.
The uprising achieved more things than it was initially planned to. I Would like to highlight but a few.
1. The international spectacle was zoomed upon the South Africa government.
2. South African City dwellers were given citizenship.
3. The government scrap the pass laws.
4. The people were now allowed to have interracial relations without being prosecuted.
June 16 marked the begging of the end of apartheid era.
