Group    From 16/6/1976  To 16/6/1976

Soweto children killed in 1976

Categories: Children, Tragedy

Countries: South Africa

Soweto is a township of Johannesburg, South Africa. At least 176 people were killed during a protest about the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in local schools. Of these, 116 were children.

This photograph, taken by Sam Nzima (1934-2018) shows the mortally wounded Hector Pieterson (1963-1976) being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo (anti-Apartheid activist and Soweto resident) while Pieterson’s sister, Antoinette Sithole (aged 17), runs beside to them.

Pieterson was driven to a clinic in Nzima’s car but he was already dead. Afterwards Makhubo was harassed by the police and went into hiding.  His family lost all contact with him. Nzima also suffered harassment and temporarily went into hiding.

All information from Wikipedia. Also Time have an excellent 12 minute video about the event and the photograph. 

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Soweto children killed in 1976

Commemorated ati

Soweto children

This sculpture was inspired by a widely-circulated and influential news photo...

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Other Subjects

William Beckham

William Beckham

William Beckham is the boy lying on his side on the left at the front in the photograph of the scout troop.  He was one of the ten children of William John Beckham (1870-1917) and Harriett Beckham...

Person, Children, Community / Clubs, Tragedy

2 memorials
East London Toy Factory

East London Toy Factory

Opened by Sylvia Pankhurst as an answer to the dozens of tiny failing workshops where women were paid a pittance. Toys were no longer being imported from Germany, so the factory employed 59 women t...

Building, Children, Commerce, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Punch and Judy

Punch and Judy

Punch's Puppet Show was first performed in England and witnessed by Samuel Pepys 1662, in Covent Garden. And still popular in 2015.

Concept, Children, Theatre

2 memorials
Coborn Girls School

Coborn Girls School

From the picture source website: "Prisca Coborn, the widow of a brewer, founded a School for both boys and girls in 1701, as a result of the terms of her will published in the year of her death. Th...

Group, Children, Education

2 memorials