Youth commemorate sacrifices of the past and protest about the present

Celebrations and demonstrations held around the country on 16 June

Photo of a child

Commemorations were held on Youth Day, Friday 16 June at the Hector Pieterson memorial in Soweto. People gathered to pay their respects on the 41st anniversary of the Soweto uprising. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee

By Ashraf Hendricks, Bernard Chiguvare and Ihsaan Haffejee

19 June 2017

Photo of youths
Youth sang protest songs and danced during a youth day event in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. About 100 primary and high school youth gathered at Site B Hall to commemorate the 1976 Soweto uprising. They also discussed the difficulties that the youth face today. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
Photo of a protest
In Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, about 70 youth from Tafelsig, demonstrated against high crime rates and child abuse. The march through the suburb was organised by the Eyes of Matroosberg Committee and the Mitchells Plain Crisis Forum. Photo: Bernard Chiguvare
Grade one pupils from Soweto stand ready with white roses which they placed at the Hector Pieterson memorial in Soweto. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee