How the Soweto Uprising Influenced Constitutional Rights

As we honour Youth Day, we remember the 1976 Soweto Uprising, a turning point that helped shape South Africa’s rights-based Constitution, securing the right to education and cultural identity for all.

The events of June 16, 1976, helped lay the groundwork for a rights-based Constitution. The current Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, includes:

Section 29: The right to a basic education, and to receive education in the official language of your choice (where reasonably practicable).

Section 30 & 31: Cultural and language rights, which stand in contrast to the forced imposition of Afrikaans under apartheid.