On the 12th of May, the photographer of one of the most known pictures in the world, Sam Nzima, died. In all the newspapers it could be read and especially all the imperialist politicians and their compradores cried out too loud their sorrow about Apartheid, while suppression of black people is being increased.
This famous picture shows a 12 year old boy, which was shot at the Soweto Uprising in 1976, a great rebellion and struggle against apartheid and imperialism. In the suburb-townships of Johannesburg, the racist burian rulers introduced the „Afrikaans Medium Decree“, which meant that „Afrikaans“, the language of the white rulers, should be the only school language. Most of the black students didn‘t even understand Afrikaans, which meant an extreme discrimination of black people. The „South African Students Movement“ in Soweto made a big demonstration. Around 20.000 students took part. The police used guns to smash down the demonstration and killed two young students. After this a great rebellion arose which lasted until 1978, the workers striked and there were international protests. More than 575 people were killed in this uprising, 4000 injured and 6000 imprisoned. Only in the Soweto township 250.000 people struggled in the uprising against suppression of black people.
Nevertheless the „new“ South African president Cyril Ramaphosa (ANC) was then part in the Soweto-Uprising, today he is not credible when he „hails the achievements“ of Sam Nzima or speaks about the „brutality of apartheid oppression“. Not one black person in South Africa will forget the Makana massacre in 2012 when 34 black miners were shot down during a strike against the British Lonmin mining company. Cyril Ramaphosa was part of the Management and board of the company, in the time of the massacre. One day before the massacre he demanded hard measures against the striking mine workers.
Ramaphosa and all the other lakies of the imperialists in South Africa cry out against the brutality of apartheid, and at the same time they kill striking black workers. Colonialism and imperialism in South Africa today is build up on racism against black people. The imperialists like british Lonmin increase their profits on the shoulders of black people.
The picture of Sam Nzima is a symbol of brutality of imperialist aggression, but also a symbol for the strength and the will of the suppressed black South African people to smash racism and imperialism. It‘s the struggling masses who defend today, with their struggle against imperialism and racism, the life of the killed students of Soweto uprising!