Youth Day in South Africa commemorates the Soweto Uprising of 1976, when thousands of Black students protested against the apartheid government's policy of enforcing education in Afrikaans rather than in their native languages.

When is Youth Day?

Youth Day in South Africa is celebrated every year on June 16.

The following is the list of Youth Day from 2020 to 2049.

The History of Youth Day?

Youth Day in South Africa traces back to 16 June 1976, when thousands of Black schoolchildren in Soweto organized a peaceful protest against the apartheid government's Bantu Education Act. The government had decreed that Afrikaans, alongside English, must be used as the medium of instruction in schools.

For many students, Afrikaans was not their home language, and they saw this policy as another tool of oppression designed to disadvantage them further in education.

On the morning of 16 June, over 20,000 students from various schools marched through the streets of Soweto. They carried placards with slogans like "Down with Afrikaans" and "We want equal education." The demonstration was intended to be peaceful. However, police confronted the students with tear gas and live ammunition.

The first child to be killed was Hector Pieterson, only 13 years old. The iconic photograph of Hector's body being carried by another student, with his sister running alongside, shocked the world and became a lasting image of the brutality of apartheid. By the end of the day, hundreds of young people were injured, and estimates suggest between 176 and 700 were killed during the uprising and the unrest that followed.

The Soweto Uprising marked a turning point in the struggle against apartheid. It drew global attention to South Africa's racial policies, galvanized internal resistance, and intensified international pressure on the apartheid regime. The courage and sacrifice of the students demonstrated the power of youth in fighting injustice.

After the end of apartheid (1948–1994), the democratic government declared 16 June as Youth Day to honour the memory of the students who lost their lives and to recognize the role of young people in shaping South Africa's history and future.