Hector Pieterson Memorial — Attraction in Johannesburg Ward 39

poem delivered by lethabo malapile on the 16th of june @ Moreleba

Poem is titled hecter petersen

Who is hecter pertersen? Is hecter petersen born in 1964 in soweto and shot in soweto again? Is Vivian petersen his mother? Is soweto where he grew up? Is antoniotte, lulu and sina his siblings? Is he the iconic image of 1976 soweto uprising? Mpotseng gape nna ke be kese gona batho ba gesho What was he doing that day mara? Was he protesting against afrikaans language as medium of instruction in secondary school? Was he protesting alone naa?where are other students ge ke bolela jwale? Was he the only one who became aggressive when police arrive? Why did the police shot him instead of calming the situation? Nswareleng ka dipotsisho,kere ke be kese gona nna lethabo Did his death solve the problem that black students were confronted with? Is it true that he fell at the corner of moema and vilakazi street? Is it true that mbuyisa mkhubo picked him up ? Is it true that he was declared dead in a short space of time at the nearest clinic? Justice was served in favour of him or apartheid police system? Whoooh iketleng nna,ke rile nna lethabo ke wa maloba ka 2000 Is avalon cemetery in soweto where he was buried? South Africa how many more should be killed in peaceful protest? Is human slaughter an answer? Is June 16 good enough for South Africans and petersen's family Is June 16 declared as a holiday because of you hecter?ohhhh yes it How many more should be slaughtered,how many more south Africans should be killed by police?how many more?how many more? May your soul rest in golden peace hecter june16 petersen Ke leboga thieletso ya lena...

The Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum, is situated in Orlando West, Soweto. It commemorates the role of the country’s students in the struggle against apartheid and in particular the role played by the school children who took part in the Soweto protests of 1976, many of whom were shot by the apartheid police while protesting against the sub-standard of education in black schools in South Africa. On June 16, 1976, Soweto high school students took to the streets in a peaceful protest against the mandatory use of Afrikaans as a language of instruction in black secondary schools. On the way to the stadium, they were met by police, who ordered them to end the march and disperse. A violent confrontation ensued in which students threw stones and police fired shots. One of the first to be killed by the police was 12-year-old Hector Pieterson. Newspaper photographer Sam Nzima was in Soweto on June 16 covering the protests and the riots which followed. His iconic image of Pieterson’s body being carried by high school student Mbuyisa Makhubo, with his sister, Antoinette Sithole, running alongside, is a graphic representation of repression under the apartheid regime and has become an iconic image around the world of the senseless cruelty and brutality of the apartheid state. The museum is definitely worth a visit during the tour and with many images and videos, the museum is very vivid....

We experienced terrific hours under the guidance of our experienced guide mr. Bheki of Soweto Guided Tours/Muano Tours, who shared a personal testimony about the struggle against apartheid and the years after. A moving story of suffering and overcoming, of not forgetting the pain, of healing reconciliation.

Mr. Bheki appeared to be a born storyteller and as a white, Dutch tourist I was drawn into the world from the 1970s and thereafter, while passing by the houses and churches of Nelson and Winnie Mandela and bishop Tutu. Also touching was the symbolism of the Hector Pierson Memorial and its square, plus the shoes on the wall nearby. What a tale to hear!

Cycling through the neighbourhood I was also touched by the friendliness of the people on the streets and felt very comfortable being there, contrary to what many may think.

This appeared to be the definitive highlight of my SA-trip - apologies to the big 5 :). This is even worth seven stars.

Also great was that the organisation arranged a taxi to pick us up and bring us back: driver Chris was nice company who brought us straight into the...