Hector Pieterson Memorial & Museum

8287 Kumalo Street
Orlando West
Soweto
South Africa

(011) 536-0611

8287 Kumalo Street, Orlando West, Soweto, South Africa
The Hector Pieterson Museum is a heritage site intrinsically linked to the origins of the Soweto Uprisings and its aftermath. By 10. 30 am on 16 June 1976, thousands of students had gathered in Orlando West around Vilakazi Street and the precinct where the Hector Pieterson Museum is presently located to begin a protest march against the imposition of the Afrikens language as the medium of instruction in Soweto’s schools. More students from the various parts of the sprawling townships were still on their way to Orlando West / Phefeni. Police opened fire, killing Hastings Ndlovu and Hector Pieterson. The shooting sparked off days of unrest and hundreds of deaths. The Soweto uprisings had begun. After 16 and 17 June 1976, nothing in South Africa would be the same again. An old era was past. A new one was beginning. The Hector Pieterson Museum’s Orlando West precinct includes the following important sites: the spots where both Hector Pieterson (Vilakazi Street) and Hastings Ndlovu ...
Category: Museums
Report Incorrect Information

Reviews

  • MM

    MNM1011
    14 SEP 2018

    Frankly, I don’t recall ever hearing of Hector Pieterson before today. I am old enough to remember the shameful violence of the government against its own people but until today I did not know of...

  • BB

    Barry B
    28 AUG 2018

    This is well worth a short visit, as the death of Hector Pieterson was critical in the march toward the end of Apartheid, yet continues to carry significance in understanding the culture of South...

  • TT

    tonykJ9442AM
    29 JUL 2018

    The museum give you a peek into SA's history in 1976. This is a prelude that led to the Freedom of South African from the tentacles of apartheid. Young people of this country made it possible, a...

  • DD

    Deirdre D
    21 JUN 2018

    Our students liked to take pictures at the park and shop with the vendors across the street. We didn't go into museum, but had a guide tell us about the square outside.

  • TB

    Trevor B
    19 JUN 2018

    An interesting SA history about what happened in 1976. we called it the Black Power. A memorial commemorates thus

  • BB

    belleretraite
    8 JUN 2018

    The Hector Pieterson Memorial was a stop on our guided tour of Soweto with City Sightseeing and it was for us the first time that we learned about Hector Pieterson and his impact on the fight against...

  • MM

    MikeFo
    7 MAY 2018

    Hector himself (or at least his image) is of course so well known, but to learn more of his story and by implication that of so many other young children who endured apartheid, but also to read the...

  • DC

    Dina C
    3 MAY 2018

    This site memorializes a student uprising that was the turning point in the fight against Apartheid. It was after this student's death that momentum seemed to build and US students started calling...

  • KK

    kwalkerward
    8 APR 2018

    This is right outside the Hector Pieterson Museum. Important to visit as part of the entire experience.

  • JJ

    Joppel
    6 FEB 2018

    Take a walk down SA's history. What love about this memorial that it forms part of the vibey street life of Soweto. Ao, although a place of quiet reflection it is not removed from the heart of...

Classification

Soweto, Greater Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Museums

You might also Consider

Kliptown Open Air Museum
Soweto, South Africa
Kliptown, a suburb in the heart of Soweto, is the oldest residential district of Soweto and was first laid out in 1891 on land which formed part of Klipspruit (i. e. ‘rocky stream’) . From 1903 the area was home to informal settlements and in the well-known Union Street, the architectural history from this era can still be seen. In 2005 the Johannesburg City Council announced plans for renewal of the Kliptown area, including a large-scale housing project and the area now contains a mixture of purpose-built housing, offices and shops as well as the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication. Kliptown falls within the “Struggle Route” which takes the visitor along the history of the struggle for freedom. On June 26, 1955 the Congress of the People met in Kliptown. Organised by the African National Congress, the South African Indian Congress, the South African Congress of Democrats and the Coloured People’s Congress the Congress saw the declaration and adoption of the Freedom Charter, which ...
Mandela House
Soweto, South Africa
The Mandela House strives to be a world-class visitor attraction, and a leading centre for the preservation, presentation, and research of the history, heritage and legacy of the great Mandela Family.
Roodepoort Museum
Roodepoort, South Africa
Roodepoort Museum tells the story of the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand. A trained guide always accompanies visitors through the museum in addition the Roodepoort Museum offer a comprehensive education programmes suitable for school groups and entertaining and educational illustrated talks on a variety of topics suitable for social clubs.
The Workers ' Museum
Johannesburg, South Africa
The Workers' Museum tells the story of migrants who came to Johannesburg from throughout the southern African region. Having left their homes and families, black migrant workers faced slave-like conditions shown by the original dormitories, concrete bunks, and punishment room at the old compound building. The museum reveals the hardships of workers under the migrant labour system, from the early 1900s through to the 1970s, when the system of job reservation began to break down. More positively, it shows the vibrancy and creative resilience of migrant workers' culture. Centrally located, the municipal compound, together with the nearby cottages for white workers, was declared a national monument in 1996. By 2009, the building was extensively renovated, and new displays were installed. Open: 9am-5pm (Tuesday-Sunday) . The Friends of the Workers Museum offer special tours as well as heritage trails of the Museum and Newtown. These must be booked in advance!
Moafrika Tours
Johannesburg, South Africa
MoAfrika Tours operate in the Kruger Park, Pretoria, Pilanesberg, Johannesburg, Soweto, Madikwe and Cape Town. We are a friendly, ambitious team - always looking for ways to make your tour or safari spectacular. At MoAfrika Tours we are accommodating and willing to customize tours to client preferences.
Constitution Hill
Johannesburg, South Africa
The Constitution Hill precinct is located at 11 Kotze Street in Bremfontein, Johannesburg near the western end of the suburb of Hillbrow. Constitution Hill is the seat of the Constitutional Court of South Africa.