Post-apartheid South Africa: 50 years after the Soweto riots, what has changed? | | Human Rights Issues

It has been 50 years since the Soweto uprising in South Africa, when black students rose en masse against the oppressive policies of the apartheid government.

Dressed in nothing but their uniforms, the students braved bullets, police dogs and arrest them. What started as a children’s strike at a school soon spread to the city of Johannesburg and turned into many riots that turned violent. A few lives were lost, but the protests succeeded as the principles they fought for were changed.

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Although the 1976 riots in Soweto happened 18 years ago racism, this is seen as a pivotal moment in South Africa’s history, one of several that put pressure on the white minority government and paved the way for the country’s rebirth in 1994.

However, even though the country is in a state of celebration, this celebration is overshadowed by several problems.

Africa’s largest and most advanced economy is plagued by high levels of poverty, unemployment and crime, with many black people suffering the consequences.

In recent weeks, some South Africans have turned to Africa, protesting their stay and pressure migration hundreds of African migrants.

“Fifty years later, as young South Africans, you face another challenge: finding your place in an economy that has closed its doors for too long,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday to the youth.

This is what happened during the Soweto riots that this country remembers today:

What happened in 1976?

No picture captured the Soweto riots that ran from June 16 to June 18 like a picture of a man carrying a dying schoolboy who had been shot while his older sister, who was wearing a school uniform running, cried beside them.

That boy, 12-year-old Zolile Hector Pieterson, was one of thousands of students who gathered in Soweto to protest new policies that forced Black students to learn English and Afrikaans, the language of the Afrikaner-dominated government. Until then, students were taught in English and local languages ​​such as Xhosa and Zulu.

In apartheid South Africa, which existed from 1948 to 1994, the government segregated people of different races in schools, and black people were prevented from going to white-only areas or entering white-only schools.

The quality of education offered to black children at the time was limited, which was calculated to make them less productive: they were only taught manual labor and menial jobs. So when the government introduced the language law, which made Afrikaans a compulsory medium of instruction in black schools in early 1975, it was the last straw.

“I knew something was going to happen,” said Thami Ntenteni, who was a teacher at one of the protesting schools, remembering the situation at the time. A member of the African National Congress, he was forced to travel to the Soviet Union for several months. The language policy “was very difficult among students and teachers”, he said.

On June 16, thousands of school students began a peaceful march in Soweto. But racist police killed the students with dogs and then fired bullets that killed many people. Riots broke out a few days later. At least 176 people were killed, including Pieterson, who was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital. Thousands of people were injured, and many others were arrested.

The picture of a dead Pieterson went viral around the world, causing outrage. The then African Unity strongly criticized the apartheid government and continues to lead the liberation efforts of the country.

This is not the first time that black people have protested with bullets. In 1960, during the Sharpeville protests in the then Transvaal region, blacks protesting the law to carry ID cards were also killed.

June 16 is now a holiday in South Africa called “Day of the African Child” in honor of Hector Pieterson and other murdered children.

How is life in South Africa, 50 years later?

Many South Africans say they still do not see the benefits of democracy despite the commitment to implement it in 1994.

Government inefficiency, corruption and the depletion of mining reserves have led to the collapse of what was once a gold and platinum economy.

Infrastructure, such as electricity, is being destroyed. Youth unemployment among 15-24 year olds it is at 60 percent. Poverty and crime are on the rise.

Black people, who make up 80 percent of the population, are particularly affected by poverty. Research shows that black families, on average, earn about 10,554 South African rand ($652) a month, compared to 117,249 rand ($7,427) for whites.

The World Bank named South Africa the most unequal country in the world in 2022, due to factors such as the division of ownership between ethnic groups and the failure of the middle class in society.

Why are immigrants leaving the country?

Recent attacks on African migrants, particularly from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria and Ghana, have highlighted the depth of discontent among many South Africans who believe migration is making their lives more difficult.

South Africa, which is one of the most developed countries in Africa, has been attracting workers from all over the world. While some have moved there legally, others are undocumented.

Protests and riots against illegal immigration have occurred in the past, with South Africans criticizing immigrants for taking advantage of them. In recent years, the rise of citizen movements that arrest suspects, as well as the framing of immigration as a burden by some right-wing politicians, have exacerbated the issue.

In April, thousands of South Africans began protesting again against the influx of migrants, calling on the government to deport them and impose stricter border controls.

Terrorists attacked the homes and businesses of foreigners in several cities, prompting the governments of Ghana and Nigeria to evacuate South Africa. Many from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi have fled their homes.

At least two Nigerians have died, while Mozambique says seven of its citizens have been killed. Countries have called the violence “xenophobic”, a claim the South African government denies.

Irfaan Mangera, a young pro-democracy activist, told Al Jazeera that the anger felt by young South Africans is justified.

“People have been frustrated for a long time, and they’re at a point where they’ve lost faith in institutions,” he said, adding that anti-immigrant groups are playing on those frustrations.

Although there may not be easy solutions, the worker said, he personally involves himself in projects to reduce poverty, as well as projects to educate young people about their rights and encourage them to vote.

“We want them to see that democracy is still something they can do,” said Mangera.