By Desire Tshuma
Soweto – Activists in Soweto will gather on 16 June 2026 for a commemoration linking the 1976 youth uprising to present-day struggles, with a strong focus on resisting xenophobia.
The event, set for 8:00 am at Banner of Truth Church in Freedom Park, Devland, Soweto, is being organised under the theme “1976 UPRISING 2026 STILL RISING: RESIST XENOPHOBIA”. Organisers have framed it as a space to draw connections between past and current forms of oppression.
On 16 June 1976, thousands of Black students in Soweto took to the streets to protest the apartheid government’s directive that Afrikaans be used as a medium of instruction in Black schools. The peaceful march was met with police violence. Officers fired live ammunition into the crowd and used tear gas and dogs to disperse students.
The brutality became a turning point in the fight against apartheid. Iconic images of 12-year-old Hector Pieterson, who was shot dead by police, circulated worldwide. Official records at the time listed 176 people killed, but subsequent investigations and civil society estimates put the death toll much higher, with hundreds more injured during the weeks of unrest that followed across the country.
This year’s gathering will use the 50th anniversary to highlight what organisers call “connected struggles”. The programme lists apartheid, xenophobia, imperialism, exploitation, the “war on the poor”, colonialism, fascism, unemployment, police brutality, and genocide as issues driving the mobilisation. The slogan _“Connected Struggles; United Goals” and “Freedom Now!” will feature prominently.
Freedom Park in Devland, located at the intersection of Jan De Necker and Golden Highway opposite the Shoprite Centre, will host the event. The gathering is linked to Zabalaza for Socialism, whose logo appears on the promotional material.
By recalling the state violence of 1976, organisers say they aim to reinforce solidarity against xenophobia and other forces targeting poor and working-class communities in South Africa today.