THE SOWETO MASSACRE
On 16th June 1976, black students in a Township or Bantu so called SOWETO demonstrated against the poor education and the use of Afrikaans as language of instruction and medium of communication at school, Police brutality was seen once again as they opened fire to the unarmed students. The government passed a decree that Math and Social Studies should be taught in Afrikaans. Young students some aging as young as six or seven years old gathered to protest against this new rule.
They were holding placards which were reading, “If we must do Afrikaans, Vorster (the Prime Minister) must do Zulu”, “we don’t want to learn the language of our oppressors”, and “We want Equal Education not slave Education”, as they marched, they chanted, “Amandla! Awethu! Amandla Awethu!” (Power is Ours!) the harsh Boer government police killed 176 black students leaving over 1, 000 black students wounded.
The anti-colonial and political unrest grew even worse in south Africa throughout the 1980s. couple with the defiance campaign, the international communities like FIFA, IMF, UNO, OAU and the like, the pressure from donor countries, the role of Front-line states and economic Sanctions, the Boer government led the De Klerk released Nelson Mandela and some political prisoners in 1990 ready for reconciliation and preparation for Majority rule.
Negotiations were conducted from 1990 to 1993 and in 1994 general election was held in South Africa and Nelson Mandela won the election and was sworn-in as the first ever black president of South Africa.
REASONS FOR ARMED STRUGGLE IN SOUTH AFRICA
1. Presence of settlers
2. The Banning of political Parties
3. The rise of military leaders like Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela
4. The role played by front-line states
5. The role played by socialist countries including China, Cuba and USSR
6. Harsh and brutal Boer republic of south Africa.
7. Intensive exploitation and oppression
FACTORS FOR THE COLLAPSE OF APARTHEID POLICY AND ATTAINMENT OF MAJORITY RULE IN SOUTH AFRICA.
1. The Role played by the defiance campaign
2. The role played by international communities
3. The role played by the United Nations Organization (UNO)
4. The role played by donor countries
5. The role played by individual leaders like Nelson Mandela and the likes of Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Robert Mangaliso Sobhukwe, Govan Mbeki the father to Thabo Mbeki and the like.
6. The role played by Front-line states like Mozambique and Tanzania
7. The role played by OAU.
8. The role played by OAU
