Today, SAFTU stands in solemn remembrance of the brave students of Soweto who rose against the tyranny of apartheid education on 16 June 1976. We salute the fearless leadership of Tsietsi Mashinini, Hector Pieterson, Hastings Ndlovu, and countless others whose blood watered the tree of liberation.
We also honour the militant spirit of the #FeesMustFall and #OutsourcingMustFall generation, who revived the revolutionary energy of 1976. Their struggles forced the state to confront the unfinished business of liberation, proving that the fight for free, decolonized education continues.
The Political Significance of 1976 and Its Legacy in Modern Struggles
The Soweto Uprising was a watershed moment in our struggle. While hundreds were massacred by the apartheid police, their resistance disrupted the facade of “order” under apartheid. The revolt galvanized international solidarity, intensified economic sanctions, and inspired a generation of youth to join the liberation movement. Without 1976, there would have been no 1980s student rebellions, the 1990s mass mobilizations, or the 2015-2017 #FeesMustFall uprising, which delivered further blows to neoliberal education policies.
Post-1994 Gains: A Legacy of Struggle
The sacrifices of 1976 laid the foundation for transformative gains in education, later reinforced by the militant struggles of #FeesMustFall and #OutsourcingMustFall:
-No-fee schools: Over 80% of public schools are now no-fee institutions, ensuring access for poor households.
– School nutrition: The National School Nutrition Programme feeds 9 million learners daily, combating hunger as a barrier to learning.
– Scholar transport: State-provided transport benefits hundreds of thousands of rural and township learners.
– Matric improvements: Pass rates have risen from 53% in 1994 to over 80% in recent years, though systemic inequalities persist.
– Transformed tertiary education: Universities like UCT and Wits now enroll majority Black students, a stark contrast to apartheid-era exclusions.
#FeesMustFall and #OutsourcingMustFall: Key Victories
The militant student movement of 2015-2017 forced historic concessions:
- Tuition freezes and fee reductions—government was compelled to increase NSFAS funding.
- Insourcing victories: Workers at Wits, UCT, UKZN, and UWC won permanent employment after decades of outsourcing.
- National discourse shift: The movement exposed the ANC’s neoliberal betrayal and pushed decolonization into mainstream debate.
The Unfinished Battle: Challenges in Education Today
Despite progress, the dreams of 1976 and #FeesMustFall remain deferred for millions:
1. Dropout crisis: Nearly 50% of learners dropout before Grade 12, trapped in cycles of poverty.
2. University struggles: Only 15% of youth enroll in tertiary education, with 40% failing first-year due to financial and academic exclusion.
3. Outsourcing persists: Many universities still exploit workers through labor brokers.
4. Global lag: South Africa ranks last in maths/science education (WEF) and trails neighbors in literacy.
5. Austerity’s devastation: Budget cuts (e.g., R7bn slashed in 2024) deepen overcrowding and infrastructure decay.
A Call to Action
SAFTU demands:
– Fully funded, free education—tax the rich to fund schooling from ECD to tertiary.
– Complete insourcing—end labor brokering at all universities and colleges.
– Massify TVET colleges—absorb unemployed youth with quality technical training.
The spirit of 1976 lives in today’s fights for FreeEducation, #Insourcing, and #Decolonization. As we honor the fallen, we recommit to their vision: An education system that liberates, not enslaves.
A Statement was issued on behalf of SAFTU by General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.
For more details, contact the National Spokesperson at:
Newton Masuku
066 168 2157
Newtonm@saftu.org.za
