‘If we use this picture it’s going to spark civil war’
SAM NZIMA was working at The World as a photographer on June 16. His iconic photograph of a dying Hector Pieterson brought the horror of the day to the world
AT 6am on Wednesday June 16 1976, I was in a press car belonging to The World. Sophie Tema and I were on our way to Naledi High School to cover a student march.
The day before we had been briefed by our editor, Percy Qoboza, about the story we would cover.
When we arrived at the school, we found students preparing placards with different messages scrawled on them. “Afrikaans must be abolished”, “To hell with Afrikaans” and “We are being served by the crumbs of education” are some I remember.
When the students were done, they took to the streets.
I joined them and we marched with them peacefully. Students were coming together from several high schools across different parts of Soweto.
Tsietsi Mashinini climbed into a tree and addressed the students: “This is a peaceful march. The purpose of our march is to go to Orlando Stadium to prepare the memorandum to submit to the Department of Education that we cannot allow Afrikaans to be a medium of instruction at our schools.”
Then the students moved towards Orlando Stadium, but first they stopped at Orlando West High to pick up more students.
The gate to the high school was locked. So the students pushed the gate and they got into the classrooms. They found the students writing a test in Afrikaans, the language which they didn’t want to be taught in.
They took all the exam papers and they tore them into pieces. They forced the students to get out from the classrooms, to go and join the others.
Before they could get out of the gates of Orlando West High, a young man came running from the Orlando East direction. He wanted to alert the students to the arrival of the police.
Indeed, when I looked in the direction of Orlando East, I saw the convoy of police cars driving down to Orlando West. I put on my press armband to identify myself.
When the police arrived . . . the one who was in charge . . . the white guy, he pulled out a stick and questioned the students. He said in Afrikaans: “What do you want here? I’m giving you three minutes to disperse or I’ll shoot at you.”
The students started to sing the song that was banned in South Africa, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrica.
The guy in charge of the police crew was provoked by this song. He pulled out his gun and shot directly into the crowd of students. He ordered the police to shoot and all hell broke loose. Police were just shooting at random. There was no order any more.
During the shooting, I saw that a little boy had fallen down.
I rushed to the scene. Before I could reach him, a young man — who I later found out was Mbuyisa Makhubu — picked Hector Pieterson up from the ground. There was a hysterical girl running with them. The guy was looking for the nearest car at the scene. The nearest car was our press Beetle. I took six shots before they got into the car.
When Makhubu got to the press car, Sophie Tema helped him open the door. And they took Hector Pieterson to the clinic, where he was certified dead on arrival.
So the students came back to report that Hector Pieterson was dead. Students picked up stones and struck the police . . . until the police ran away. I don’t know what happened. Maybe they ran out of ammunition. I don’t know.
I knew the police would take away my camera because in those days we were not allowed to take pictures of police in action.
So I removed the film and stuffed it in my sock. Then I loaded another film.
He ordered the police to shoot and all hell broke loose. Police were just shooting at random
Immediately after that, I was busy taking pictures of a policeman who was left behind when the others were running away.
When they drove off from the scene, this policeman had somehow remained behind.
When he drove his van away, he collided with an electrical pole because the students were showering him with stones. All the windows were smashed and he lost control of the car.
The students pulled him from his van and cut his throat.
And then, while I was busy taking those pictures, I was surprised the police were on me.
They took all my cameras. They klapped me and they said: “Why are you taking pictures here? You are not allowed to take these pictures.”
They exposed all the films from the other camera, but that one of Hector Pieterson was safe because I was already hiding it in my sock.
That’s how this picture got saved. This all happened at about 10am. It was in the 3pm extra late edition that the picture was used.
But before the picture was used there was a debate in the newsroom.
The chief sub-editor told the editor: “This picture is not right. If we use this picture it’s going to spark civil war in South Africa.”
Then Percy Qoboza insisted that this picture must be used. Finally they all came to an agreement: “Come what may, we’re using this picture.”
This policeman remained behind. The students pulled him from his van and cut his throat