Final clue in Soweto uprising mystery?
He was the subject of the most iconic image of the 1976 Soweto riots and has been missing in exile for 37 years. But now authorities believe Mbuyisa Makhubu may have turned up in a Canadian prison.
2006: Barack Obama looks at the iconic photo at the Hector Pieterson Museum, Soweto, with Hector’s sister
Over 400 people died on 16 June, 1976, when South Africa’s schoolchildren took to the streets in their thousands to protest against the enforcement of Afrikaans and English – and the effective ban of locally spoken languages in schools.
But it was 13-year-old Hector Pieterson who became the symbol of the protest and its violent backlash, when he was photographed lying limp in the arms of another schoolboy, his sister running alongside, after being shot by police.
The schoolboy doing the carrying was Mbuyisa Makhubu. He was 17 or 18 when the riots kicked off – and has not been seen since. He was forced to leave the country after being harassed by security officials, and his mother had not heard from him since 1978, when he wrote her a letter from Nigeria.
But in an extraordinary turn of events, officials believe that Mr Makhubu may now have turned up in a Canadian prison.
2000: Mbuyisa Makhubu’s mother Nombulelo holds up a postcard showing her missing son.
South African and Canadian officials are reportedly trying to fast-track DNA checks to ascertain whether or not the prisoner is indeed the famous subject of one of South Africa’s most famous photos.
South Africa’s arts and culture department spokesman Mogomotsi Mogodiri told the South African Press Association (Sapa): “I can confirm that we are involved in tracing people who have gone missing during the liberation struggle and yes, Mbuyisa Makhubu could be our latest case.
“We are awaiting DNA results to confirm if this person in Canada is indeed Makhuba.”
16 June 2006: Crowds gather to celebrate the anniverary of the Soweto uprising, now known as Youth Day
A source told IOL News that the man who may be the missing Mr Makhubu has been badly affected by the traumatic events of apartheid, and is thought to have mental health problems.
Mr Mogodiri said that if the DNA matched samples provided by Mr Makhubu’s living relatives and his identity wee confirmed, a process of repatriation would begin.
“We have been involved in tracing people who have gone missing during the apartheid days, we bring them back dead or alive,” he added.
“The tests are being conducted, the results can come out anytime from now. Once that is final the minister, Paul Mashatile, will make an announcement.”
2007: Students visit the Hector Pieterson Museum in Soweto
Sapa reported that the department had acted on information provided about a month ago.
A source told IOL News that the man suspected of being Mr Makhubu has been in the prison for eight years.
The anniversary of the Soweto uprising is now a national holiday in South Africa, and a museum which commemorates the tragedy is named after Hector Pieterson.
If genuine, the reappearance of Mr Makhubu could solve one of the biggest mysteries of the apartheid era.
2006: South African photojournalist Sam Nzima, 71, in front of his iconic photo