Hector Pieterson

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hector Pieterson Memorial

Hector Pieterson (actually Hector Pitso , other spellings of the surname are Peterson , Pietersen and Petersen ; born August 19, 1963 in Soweto , South Africa ; † June 16, 1976 ibid.) Was a South African student who at the age of twelve at a demonstration in Was shot during the Soweto Uprising . His real family name was Pitso, but in order to have better opportunities in the apartheid- ruled South Africa, the family changed their name to Pieterson.

Pieterson was shot dead by police on June 16, 1976 during an initially peaceful demonstration against the introduction of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in South African schools. The photo taken by the photographer Sam Nzima of the dying Hector in the arms of the student Mbuyisa Makhubo caused a worldwide sensation. This made him a symbol of an uprising by the black population against the apartheid regime. He was buried in Avalon Cemetery .

In the ensuing clashes, more than 550 demonstrators - including many young people - and security forces were killed. Although residents of numerous townships joined the uprising, with numerous schools and other public buildings being destroyed, the police managed to largely suppress the uprising after about six months.

On June 16, 2002, the 26th anniversary of his death, the Hector Pieterson Museum was opened in Soweto's township in Orlando . It presents events related to the uprising and is intended to commemorate its victims. Nelson Mandela inaugurated the Hector Pieterson Memorial in front of the museum .

In Berlin-Kreuzberg a school was named after Hector Pieterson.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Christian Putsch: Dispute over South Africa's icons - dispute over the marketing of Hector Pieterson's naming rights . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . No. 70 . Zurich March 25, 2013, p. 16 .
  2. ^ School website , accessed April 14, 2018
personal data
SURNAME Pieterson, Hector
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pitso, Hector; Peterson, Hector; Pietersen, Hector; Petersen, Hector
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African student
DATE OF BIRTH 19th August 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Soweto , South Africa
DATE OF DEATH June 16, 1976
Place of death Soweto , South Africa