Hector Pieterson Memorial Site - Soweto, South Africa
Posted by: 
denben
S 26° 14.115 E 027° 54.481
35J E 590693 N 7097945
The Hector Pieterson Memorial Site is located not far from the spot where 13 year-old Hector was killed when the police opened fire on protesting students on the 16 June 1976 during the Soweto uprising.
Waymark Code: WMJJCY
Location: Gauteng, South Africa
Date Posted: 11/24/2013
Views: 6
16 June 1976 was a major turning point in South African history. The protests by Soweto school children on that day marked the end of submissiveness on the part of the black population of South Africa and the beginning of a new militancy in the struggle against apartheid. South Africa would never be the same again. From June 16 1976 onwards, South Africa's youth took centre stage. They would remain in the forefront of resistance to apartheid, alongside an increasingly powerful trade union movement, until the unbanning of political organisations in South Africa in February 1990. (
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The Hector Pieterson Memorial was unveiled by Nelson Mandela on 16 June 1992 to honour Hector and those who died around the country in the 1976 uprising. On 16 June 2002 the Hector Pieterson Museum opened on Maseko Street near the memorial. Funded by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the Johannesburg City Council, it has become a major tourist attraction.
For years, 16 June stood as a symbol of resistance to the brutality of the apartheid government. Today, it is designated National Youth Day — when South Africans honour young people and bring attention to their needs. (
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Our last picture shows Hector being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo (an 18-year-old schoolboy), with Hector's sister Antoinette Pieterson (then 17 years old) right beside them. Sam Nzima is the South African photographer who took what became the iconic image of Hector Pieterson for the Soweto uprising. Mbuyisa and Nzima were harassed by the police after the incident and both went into hiding.
On June 2011, US First Lady Michelle Obama visited the Hector Pieterson Memorial and had a chat with Hector's sister Antoinette before laying a wreath at his memorial.
The memorial reads:
"16 June 1976
In memory of Hector Pieterson and all other young heroes and heroines of our struggle who laid down their lives for freedom, peace and democracy.
Unveiled by Dr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela on 16 June 1992
President of the ANC
Erected by ANC youth league"
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