Johannesburg - On June 16, 1976 the country was besieged with riots and protests from the youth of that time who were against Afrikaans the chosen language of learning.
Many were brutally killed and some were never seen again. The government of that time was spending far more on white education than on black education. R644 was spent annually for each white student, while only R42 was budgeted for a black school child. In 1976 there were 257 505 pupils enrolled in grade 8 at high schools which had a capacity for only 38 000 students.
Then the government dropped the Afrikaans bomb.
At 7am on June 16 the youth began gathering, first in small groups and then they became a mass that marked that beginning of the revolution that toppled the apartheid government.
Fast-forward to now, where the young people of South Africa are split about whether the dream the 76 youth revolted for has been realised.
For some young people the dream of 76 has been realised but students who formed the #FeesMustFall movement have picked up the fight for free and fair education.
We spoke to youths of different ages to see how they feel the Soweto Uprising has affected their lives and how they feel they can take their legacy forward.
The Star