Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Black consciousness and soweto uprising - Coggle Diagram
Black consciousness and soweto uprising
Steve Biko and SASO
SASO organised strikes on university campuses in protest over inferior facilities.
1972, Black Conscious movement began to inspire school children to feel pride in their ethnicity and protest about their conditions
SASM - South African Student's movement
Independent of black consciousness and SASO. The govt did not see it this way.
Although Biko and SASO weren't directly involved in SASM activities, the govt acted firmly in response to the general protest in the early 1970s.
1973 - Biko arrested and charged with fomenting terrorism.
Steve Biko:
Charismatic
SASO leader
CAUSES OF SOWETO UPRISING
Overcrowding:
Many unemployed, bad economy, house building slowed.
E.g. 20 in a 4 roomed house.
Early 1970s: govt spending on black children 10% of that spent on whites. Led to overcrowding in schools.
Teachers poorly trained/paid.
Enforcement of Afrikaans in schools:
Resented by children, they didn't like being taught the language of their oppressors.
Catalysed the frustration and led to events in Soweto.
Black consciousness intensified this.
African education:
Schools lacked resources to teach pupils anything but skills required for cheap labour jobs.
Late 1960s made many realise the need for more African skilled workers, so more schools were built.
Oil crisis effected spending on African education.
Govt cut number of years of schooling for Africans to save money.
Increasing urbanisation of Africans:
more likely to be literate.
made more Africans more aware of events in SA.
Africans becoming more sophisticated and less patient in ways they were being treated.
SOWETO UPRISING AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE
June 1976: Massive demonstration against Afrikaans in teaching, held by 15000 students in Soweto, organised by SASM. Police killed 2 students which resulted in more outcry.
1000s of students took part in marches from their schools to rally in a football stadium. Security used tear gas and bullets - 20+ student died.
Govt encouraged migrant workers to beat up demonstrators.
Protests spread to other areas (100+ places affected).
Uprising continued till end of the year. By October, there was at least 80+ protest.
Schools burnt down.
Security forces may have killed as many as 1000.
CONSEQUENCES
Suppression:
Authorities taken by surprise but still held firm.
Banning orders, imprisonment, suppression of 18 organisations.
Protests wouldn't go away though. Govt or police never seemed to control Soweto again.
Armed struggle:
About 14000 students went abroad to join the ANC and MK guerillas.
ANC and PAC recruited new cadres and advised them how to illegally cross borders so they could infiltrate back into SA.
Supply of cadres allowed armed struggle to resume.
Enhanced sympathy for armed struggle.
Total strategy:
This was Botha's response to the fear that communists will attack to try and destroy apartheid (total onslaught).
Every aspect of society should be deployed against the perceived enemy.
Restructuring govt- emphasis on security,
International reaction:
Condemnation of police brutality.
UN responded with resolution 392: condemned SA govt's response and apartheid.
Multinational companies with subsidiaries in SA were pressurised by AA groups to withdraw.
Global companies withdrew from SA.
Bank loans to SA withdrawn.
ANC as a beneficiary:
welcomed thousands of new cadres who were to form the basis of it's escalating armed struggle.
Led to an uninterrupted armed struggle between the masses and the regime, implying that the mass of Africans supported ANC.
IMPACT OF STEVE BIKO'S DEATH 1977
Widespread worldwide condemnation:
UN and USA protested over death.
caught worldwide attention.
Authorities remained impassive and without compassion:
lied about how he died as they feared revolution.
said he caused his own injuries.
Inquest reported that Biko went mad before hitting his head against the wall. Few believed this.
Many people now feared that the chance of any peaceful solution to the problems caused by apartheid was impossible.