JUNE 1976 Tribute Book (2) Ebook
The book, aptly titled June 1976 Commemorative Dialogue, serves as a powerful memoir that sets several facts straight. It’s written much along the lines of Julie Frederikse’s “None But Ourselves”, which is ranked among the most authentic accounts of how the struggle for the liberation of Zimbabwe was won. The book, written by Eunice Rakhale-Molefe, forms part of a series of commemorative dialogues aimed at; first, demystifying and bringing to light the above mentioned omitted facts. Secondly, to highlight the milestones that have been implemented as part of turning the heritage schools as institutions of academic excellence. Rakhale-Molefe’s elaborate narrative is enhanced by interviews with the school’s alumni including former North West premier Popo Molefe, Nelson Mandela Children ’s Fund spokesman Oupa Ngwenya, former director-general in president Thabo Mbeki’ s office Frank Chikane and Provincial Chief Director in the Department of Basic Education and Training’ s Zanele Mthembu. Others include Enos Ngutshane, the man whose letter to the Bantu education department rejecting Afrikaans as a medium of instruction sparked the June 16, 1976 insurrection, and retired Sowetan news editor Willie Bokala. They all speak frankly, albeit nostalgically, in the book June 1976 Commemorative Dialogue, and are all working hard behind the scenes to return Naledi High School to its former glory as an academic, sporting and cultural powerhouse. Predictably, the book starts with the recollections of incumbent principal Kenneth Mavatulana, who poignantly says in part that: “A school is an institution that is about academic performance and unless we have addressed the school’s performance, we cannot truly celebrate.” All the book’s interlocutors present enthralling anecdotes about how bad things were in the early 1970s and how the families and the entire communities’ lives were adversely affected. Readers will appreciate the students’ noble and surprisingly mature liberation struggle roles, which they played as innocent youths who were reacting to an otherwise oppressive, suppressive and divisive regime. It tells of how Naledi High School is an institution worthy of respect as a one of the 8 heritage schools of Soweto.
The book, aptly titled June 1976 Commemorative Dialogue, serves as a powerful memoir that sets several facts straight. It’s written much along the lines of Julie Frederikse’s “None But Ourselves”, which is ranked among the most authentic accounts of how the struggle for the liberation of Zimbabwe was won.
The book, written by Eunice Rakhale-Molefe, forms part of a series of commemorative dialogues aimed at; first, demystifying and bringing to light the above mentioned omitted facts. Secondly, to highlight the milestones that have been implemented as part of turning the heritage schools as institutions of academic excellence.
Rakhale-Molefe’s elaborate narrative is enhanced by interviews with the school’s alumni including former North West premier Popo Molefe, Nelson Mandela Children ’s Fund spokesman Oupa Ngwenya, former director-general in president Thabo Mbeki’ s office Frank Chikane and Provincial Chief Director in the Department of Basic Education and Training’ s Zanele Mthembu. Others include Enos Ngutshane, the man whose letter to the Bantu education department rejecting Afrikaans as a medium of instruction sparked the June 16, 1976 insurrection, and retired Sowetan news editor Willie Bokala.
They all speak frankly, albeit nostalgically, in the book June 1976 Commemorative Dialogue, and are all working hard behind the scenes to return Naledi High School to its former glory as an academic, sporting and cultural powerhouse. Predictably, the book starts with the recollections of incumbent principal Kenneth Mavatulana, who poignantly says in part that:
“A school is an institution that is about academic performance and unless we have addressed the school’s performance, we cannot truly celebrate.”
All the book’s interlocutors present enthralling anecdotes about how bad things were in the early 1970s and how the families and the entire communities’ lives were adversely affected. Readers will appreciate the students’ noble and surprisingly mature liberation struggle roles, which they played as innocent youths who were reacting to an otherwise oppressive, suppressive and divisive regime. It tells of how Naledi High School is an institution worthy of respect as a one of the 8 heritage schools of Soweto.
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Eunice Rakhale-Molefe
Fundraising was one of his strengths, which used
to be greatly appreciated by the newly-formed SASM
branch.
“Different methods of disseminating messages
were employed. The petrol bomb message is the one
that I remember clearly. In October 1975, a pamphlet
in the form of a ‘cartoon’ started circulating (pamphlets
were a common means of communication). Struggling
to interpret the cartoon, I sought the help of a fellow
student who was known as Zweli. After scrutinising
the cartoon for a while, we discovered that it was an
artistic interpretation on how to make a petrol bomb.
With this information in our hands, we needed a
strategy to circulate this information widely. From a
post office in Jeppe Street, Johannesburg, we bought a
box of envelopes and stamps. Through the ‘Yellow
Pages’ telephone numbers directory, we mailed the
cartoon to every African family in the directory. We
later found out that a lot of artistic people had managed
to decode the cartoon message easily. By June 16,
almost everyone knew how to make a petrol bomb.
There was no formal instruction. People had to figure
it out, themselves.
“On a monthly basis, various guest speakers were
invited to address the students. Every now and then,
the guest speakers had included government
representatives who had viewed this as an opportunity
to promote their propaganda and misinformation to
mislead the students. They had not been aware,
though, that – on the other hand – for the principal, it
was an opportunity to reverse the psychology of
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