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Glam Monitor

Who held Hector Pieterson?

Author

David Ramirez

Updated on May 24, 2026

Hector Pieterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubu after being shot by South African police. Pieterson's sister, Antoinette Sithole runs beside them.

WHO lifted Hector Pieterson?

When Pieterson was shot, he fell on the corner of Moema and Vilakazi Streets. He was picked up by Mbuyisa Makhubo who, together with Pieterson's sister Antoinette (then 17 years old), ran towards Sam Nzima's car.

Who had shot Hector Pieterson and why?

He was 12 at the time of his death. A postmortem revealed that Pieterson was killed by a shot fired directly at him and not by a bullet 'ricocheting off the ground' as police claimed. Another student, Hastings Ndlovu, is believed to have been the first to be shot by police on that fateful day.

Why was Hector Pieterson shot by the police?

Hector Pieterson was shot by the police because he and his classmates joined a protest against learning the Afrikaans language in school. Hector and other school students were being forced to learn this language but they wanted to learn their language Zulu.

Who was shocked after hearing the story of Hector Pieterson?

There were many pictures of a young schoolboy of around fifteen years of age. When she asked her mother who the boy was, she was told that he was called, Hector Pieterson. He had been shot by the police. Maya was shocked.

21 related questions found

Who was the leader of the Soweto Uprising?

Tsietsi Mashinini (1957 - ) Awarded for: For his bravery and leadership of the Soweto Student Uprising of 16 June 1976.

Why the Soweto Uprising took place?

massive uprising known as the Soweto Rebellion, which began as a protest against the government's insistence that the Afrikaans language be used as the medium of instruction in Soweto's high schools. Years of violence and repression followed.

How many died in Soweto Uprising?

Over 176 people were killed that day. Protests quickly spread to townships all over the country. The image of 13 year old Hector Pieterson, who was the first child shot dead by apartheid police during the Soweto uprising, has become an iconic image.

What is June 16 called now?

Since the early 1990s, June 16, now known as Youth Day, has been remembered, commemorated, and memorialised as public history. There have been different ways and forms through which the June 16 1976 student uprisings have been commemorated.

Where is Mbuyisa Makhubu now?

As of 2020, his whereabouts still remain unknown. The same year, a four-episode documentary titled Through The Cracks, which was released on 44th anniversary of the uprising on June 16, 2020, provided some previously untold details about Makhubu's life.

What school did Hector attend?

Hector Pieterson remembered - St Martin's School.

What is the importance of the Hector Pieterson Memorial?

The Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum, situated in Orlando West, Soweto, 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 ...

Who influenced the Soweto Uprising?

The introduction of Afrikaans alongside English as a medium of instruction is considered the immediate cause of the Soweto uprising, but there are a various factors behind the 1976 student unrest. These factors can certainly be traced back to the Bantu Education Act introduced by the Apartheid government in 1953.

Who were the leaders of June 16 uprising?

Key People in the June 16 Soweto Youth Uprising

  • Tsietsi Mashinini (deceased)
  • Khotso Seatlholo (deceased)
  • Murphy Morobe - (Head of Communications in the office of President Thabo Mbeki)
  • Seth Mazibuko.
  • Elias "Roller" Masinga SSRC backroom strategists.
  • Billy Masetlha.
  • Super Moloi.
  • Daniel Sechaba Montsitsi.

How many graves are in Avalon?

It spans 172 hectares and is filled with 300 000 graves.

Where can I find graves in South Africa?

To find cemetery records for South Africa in the FamilySearch Catalog follow these steps:

  1. Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
  2. Enter: South Africa in the Place box.
  3. Click on: Search.
  4. Click on: South Africa - Cemeteries.
  5. Click on: Places within South Africa.
  6. Click on: Cemeteries.

What was the language of Hector Pieterson?

Hector was one of the first to be killed. He became a symbol of the Soweto Uprising. The students were unhappy because schools in the townships of Soweto were forced to use the Afrikaans language. As thousands of students gathered, the local police started shooting at the students.

Who organized the Soweto uprising?

Nonetheless the march that was planned by the Action Committee of the Soweto Students Representative Council (SSRC) was well organised and was to be conducted in a peaceful way. The leaders of the original march, mainly came from two high schools, Naledi High in Naledi and Morris Isaacson in Mofolo.

How did the Soweto uprising change South Africa?

In 1974, South Africa passed the Afrikaans Medium Decree forcing all black schools to use Afrikaans and English as the languages of instruction. Afrikaans was used for mathematics, arithmetic, and social studies while English was used for general science and applied subjects.

What happened on 16 June youth?

On 16 June 1976 more than 20 000 pupils from Soweto began a protest march. In the wake of clashes with the police, and the violence that ensued during the next few weeks, approximately 700 hundred people, many of them youths, were killed and property destroyed.