Tag: PoliticalHistory

1985: The Langa Massacre and the Ending of White Rule in South Africa revisits a critical moment in the country’s struggle against apartheid. Mark Swilling examines the Langa massacre and the political developments surrounding it. He also considers how events in 1985 helped shift the balance between an authoritarian state and a growing democratic movement.

The 1976 Soweto Uprising represents a decisive turning point in South Africa’s history. Even contemporaries viewed it as the beginning of the end of apartheid. This compelling book examines both the underlying causes and the immediate factors that led to this watershed event. It explores the crucial role of Black Consciousness ideology. It also examines emerging school-based organisations that shaped the character and form of the revolt.

On 16 June 1976, thousands of Black South African school children took to the streets of Soweto. They protested the introduction of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction under apartheid education. Police met the protests with brutal force. Many children never returned home. This day is now remembered as the start of the Soweto Uprising. It also echoed through 6001, the Orlando East home of Lebo Diseko’s family.