Pupils boycott classes in defiance of the use of Afrikaans in their schools

Date: 16 May 1976
Updated: 22 Aug 2019

Pupils boycott classes in defiance of the use of Afrikaans in their schools

Pupils at Phefeni Secondary School started boycotting classes in protest against the use of Afrikaans as medium of instruction in certain subjects in schools. The unrest spread to Belle Higher Primary School, Thulasizwe Higher Primary School, and Emthonjeni Khula Ngolwazi Higher Primary School. These boycotts were daily occurrences until the ultimate breaking point on 16 June 1976, when the Soweto uprising took place that caused uproar in South Africa and abroad, where it became the most talked about South African event internationally since the Durban Strike of 1973. Source: South African History Online

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South African History Online. (2011, March 16). Pupils boycott classes in defiance of the use of Afrikaans in their schools. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012257

South African History Online (2011) 'Pupils boycott classes in defiance of the use of Afrikaans in their schools', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012257 (Accessed: 16 September 2026).

South African History Online, Pupils boycott classes in defiance of the use of Afrikaans in their schools [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012257, (accessed 16 September 2026).

"Pupils boycott classes in defiance of the use of Afrikaans in their schools." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012257. Accessed 16 Sept. 2026.

South African History Online. "Pupils boycott classes in defiance of the use of Afrikaans in their schools." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012257.