Records on the Soweto Uprising

A short microfilm containing copies of bulletins, pamphlets, poetry and manifestos issued by such organisations as 'The African Scholars of Cape Town', Soweto Students' Representative Council, University of Cape Town Students' Representative Council, 'The Voice of Black People in South Africa', and SASSAC. (The acronym probably stands for South African Students' Action Committee. In 1978 the South African Students' Committee, one of the Black Consciousness groups, formed in Soweto an Action Committee which quickly became the Soweto Student's Representative Committee, the group which led the uprising).

Records are open to the public, subject to the overriding provisions of relevant legislation, including data protection laws.

Between 16 and 24 June 1976 there was widespread rioting in the African townships of South Africa: the worst since the Sharpeville massacre in 1960. The uprising began in Soweto and its immediate cause was the compulsory use of the Afrikaans language as the medium of instruction in Bantu schools. The rioting quickly spread to other townships. The official death toll was put at 176. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning the South African Government for 'massive violence against and killings of the African people including school children and students and others opposing racial discrimination'.

A reprographics service is available to researchers subject to the access restrictions outlined above. Copying will not be undertaken if there is any risk of damage to the document. Copies are supplied in accordance with the Borthwick Institute for Archives' terms and conditions for the supply of copies, and under provisions of any relevant copyright legislation. Permission to reproduce images of documents in the custody of the Borthwick Institute must be sought.

Further accruals are not expected.

Published

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