Hector Pieterson Museum & Hector Pieterson Memorial

North of Vilakazi St is Soweto’s big gun, Hector Pieterson Sq. Named after the 13-year-old who was shot dead in the run-up to the Soweto uprising, the square now features the poignant Hector Pieterson Memorial and the excellent museum, offering insight into Sowetan life and the history of the independence struggle. It follows the origins of Afrikaans, its introduction into black schools and how this led to the tragic incidents of 16 June 1976. Moving exhibitions contain quotes of remembrance from the day in question, including an eyewitness from Antoinette Sithole, Hector Pieterson’s sister. All around the museum, large windows look out onto the streets, pointing to landmarks associated with 16 June and explaining the role they played. There’s also an enclosed courtyard strewn with red granite blocks near the museum’s exit. Each is engraved with the name of someone who died as a consequence of the 1976 uprisings. From the square, a line of shrubs leads up Moema St to the site where Hector was shot outside the school. By the site of his murder is a large black-and-white picture of him, carried in the arms of another young man, while his sister runs beside him. This powerful picture was published all around the world.