Resolute Treurnicht rejects waiving language policy

Despite the indications of African unrest at Soweto schools being noticed by government authorities on 4 June, who reported it to the Minister of Bantu Administration and Development and of Bantu Education, M.C. Botha, the recently appointed deputy minister of Bantu Education, Andries Treurnicht, rejected the applications by five Soweto schools to depart from the so-called 50-50 policy in secondary education, which entailed equal use of English and Afrikaans in schooling. At a meeting of the Soweto Urban Council, Councillor Leonard Mosala stated that enforcing Afrikaans in schools would result in another Sharpeville shooting incident, if the issues were not dealt with immediately. He further stated that the consequences would be dire should the policy be forced upon the children. During this time, an action committee was set up under auspices of the South African Student Movement (SASM), which later evolved into the formation of the Soweto Student Representatives' Council (SSRC). This structure was entrusted with the responsibility to prepare a mass protest against the use of Afrikaans as medium of instruction. The mass protest was scheduled for 16 June 1976.