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. 

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

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...

Read More

Other Subjects

Kitty Hopkins

Kitty Hopkins

Drowned in the 1898 HMS Albion disaster, aged 10. Buried in grave 3 at the memorial in East London Cemetery.

Person, Children, Tragedy

1 memorial
P. L. Travers

P. L. Travers

Author. Born Helen Lyndon Goff in Maryborough, Queensland. She emigrated to England at the age of 25 and adopted the name Pamela Lyndon Travers whilst writing the Mary Poppins novels for which she ...

Person, Children, Literature, Australia

1 memorial
Billy Bunter

Billy Bunter

Character in a series of stories set in Greyfriars School, originally published in the boys weekly story magazine 'The Magnet'.

Fiction, Children, Fictional

1 memorial
Albert Edward Dack

Albert Edward Dack

Albert Edward Dack is the boy lying on his side on the front right in the photograph of the scout troop. Albert Edward Dack was born on 1 August 1899 in Walworth, the fourth of the ten children of...

Person, Children, Community / Clubs, Tragedy

2 memorials
Christ Church School, SW3

Christ Church School, SW3

Christ Church itself was built in 1839 and quickly established its Sunday School, initially only for boys and in rented premises in Flood Street. Then Lord Cadogan donated the land directly opposit...

Building, Children, Education, Property

4 memorials

Previously viewed

Marcus Garvey

Marcus Garvey

Pan-African nationalist leader. Born Marcus Mosiah Garvey in St Ann's Bay, Jamaica. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association in 1914 to foster worldwide black unity, and moved its hea...

Person, Politics & Administration, Race Issues, Jamaica, USA

6 memorials
Mark Stevens

Mark Stevens

Mark Stevens, 'Uncle', died near the site of the plaque. The day of his death is uncertain. The plaque was erected by his father, sibling, son and friends.

Person, Friend / family

1 memorial
Alfred Adrian Jones, MVO, FRBS

Alfred Adrian Jones, MVO, FRBS

Born Ludlow. Served in the army in the First Boer War as a veterinary captain. As a sculptor he specialised in animal figures. See Speel for more of his work. Our Picture Source and his Wikipedia p...

Person, Armed Forces, Sculpture

5 memorials
Richard Budd

Richard Budd

Born Brixton. Worked in the stock exchange. Father to Henry Budd and lived with Henry's family at 35 Russell Square. Died Tunbridge Wells. Originally buried at St Botolph, Bishopsgate but was moved...

Person, Commerce

1 memorial
P. A. Draycott

P. A. Draycott

Patrick Draycott, Master of the Founders Company in 2014.

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial