Limpopo to host Milestones of Freedom launch at University of Limpopo

The University of Limpopo will host the provincial launch of the Milestones of Freedom campaign on Tuesday, with Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong and Premier Phophi Ramathuba expected to lead the programme.

The event will take place at the university’s Turfloop campus and will connect several anniversaries in South Africa’s democratic and liberation history.

The campaign marks 30 years of the Constitution, 50 years since the 1976 youth uprising, 60 years since the District Six forced removals and 70 years since the 1956 Women’s March.

The Presidency said the University of Limpopo was selected because of its history of student activism and political organisation during apartheid. The institution was previously known as the University of the North.

The programme will examine the contribution of former student representative council president Onkgopotse Abram Tiro and the role played by schools including Hwiti High School during the 1976 student uprisings.

Former students and other participants in the struggle are expected to share their experiences during the event. Their accounts will form part of a broader discussion about the university’s place in South Africa’s history.

The campaign is being held under the theme “Honouring the Past. Delivering the Future”. It has already been launched in the Free State, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Northern Cape.

Tuesday’s Limpopo programme extends the national series to another province and places the focus on the legacy of student mobilisation in the region.