On June 16, 1976, over 20,000 black students walked from their schools to Orlando Stadium in support of protesting against learning through Afrikaans.
Many students who later participated in the protest arrived at school that morning without prior knowledge of the protest but agreed to get involved.
Soweto students organized a protest. It was planned by the SSRC’s Action Committee and received support from the BCM. They also supported the march after they were emphasising good discipline and peaceful action.
Tsietsi Mashinini led students from Morris Isaacson High School to join up with others who walked from Naledi High School.
The students began the march only to find out that police had barricaded the road along their intended route.
The entire march was very peaceful. In the end, it ended up near North Avenue Elementary School.
The police set their dog on the protesters, who responded by killing it. The police then began to shoot directly at the children.
Fifteen-year-old Hastings Ndlovu and thirteen-year-old Hector Pieterson were shot in the head while protesting with millions of other students around the country.
Sam Nzima came across a dying Hector Pieterson and Mbuyise Makhubo carrying the young boy away from the police. They both took pictures of Pieterson before he passed away and Sam ended up getting access to a photo that was used in a lot of newspapers to illustrate protests throughout the country.
