Without a free and decolonised education, the sacrifices of the generation of the 1976 Soweto uprising remain in vain.
These are the words of the family of the late mastermind behind the June 16 Soweto uprising, Tsietsi Mashinini.
On Tuesday, the country will mark the 50th commemoration of the fateful but historic day which expedited the pace of the liberation struggle, which changed South Africa’s political trajectory.
June 16 was the time, the day and the year of the brave and the courageous.
The youth of Soweto took to the streets to protest against the tyranny of the brutal apartheid regime.
What sparked the protest was the apartheid policies of the promulgation of the 1953 Bantu Education Act, which introduced Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.
It all started in Soweto and spread to other parts of the country. But little did they know that this would change the political trajectory of the country and intensify the opposition against apartheid.
At the forefront were Tsietsi Mashinini and Khotso Seatlholo. Despite his contribution to the country’s liberation, just a little has been said about Mashinini.
But one of the country’s best scribers, Sam Mathe, wrote a book – Tsietsi Mashinini – the Elusive Hero of Soweto.
Mathe says, “What inspired this book was really the need to document one of the leading figures of June 16, 1976, because what has happened is that over the years right from the 1970s, there have been a number of books on June 16 but hardly any on those who were leading the march and in this instance Tsietsi Mashinini has emerged as the foremost leader of the June 16 movement. I think it has been very unfortunate that 50 years down the line, we haven’t really had a biography that is dedicated to his life and his achievements in this regard.”
If he were to write a letter to the leader of the 1976 Soweto uprising, this is what he would say.
“I will say you did the best under the circumstances. You sacrificed your youth because you loved your country so much that you were prepared to die for it. So, I will say thank you for that, it was worth every moment, it was worth every effort. You have been failed, but the failures that we say will eventually become a thing of the past because the struggle will continue,” adds Mathe.
In his letter, his brother Dichaba Mashinini says this is what he would say to the fearless martyr of the June 16 student protests in Soweto.
Dichaba says, “Vukani Madoda, we are living in a dungeon, economically, socially and otherwise. What you died for has not been achieved. We are still struggling and very early in our liberation, already there was a song – Not Yet Uhuru [song by Letta Mbulu] – we are still in that situation. So, I will tell you that you have made a sacrifice and you have made your contribution well done. But we have only moved an inch; we have not really achieved what we were fighting for.”
“I don’t think learning and teaching, or even the curriculum, is anything near where these guys we were advocating. If for instance … Khotso Seatlholo must be the minister of education, I don’t think we would be where we are; I think we would be in a better place,” he explains.
He says those who died during the struggle will be disappointed, insisting a fitting tribute to the 1976 generation is to ensure the best and quality education for all.
Dichaba adds: “Our focus should be on education. This struggle came out of a class into the streets against government. These are young people who were in high school. They were saying we want to go to school, we want to be educated. So, it is emphatic, it’s clear all they wanted was education.”
“So, the legacy of these guys for me lies upon getting proper and decolonised education, a new kind of approach to education. An education that also speaks about our struggles. When you go to our books, you don’t really find hardcore stuff about our history as black people.”
But half a century on, the youth of today faces a different struggle – that of unemployment, alcohol and substance abuse, among others.
On Tuesday, as the country commemorates the gallant 1976 generation, President Cyril Ramaphosa will take stock of the impact that the democratic government had on the youth, the challenges they face and map out what to do to address them.
