50 years since the Soweto Uprising

Half a century ago, an event took place that shook the apartheid regime in South Africa to its foundations - the Soweto Uprising.

It began with a demonstration by schoolchildren against being taught in Afrikaans.

The government met the protesters with brutal force, and the ensuing violence shocked the world.

In 2010, Alan Johnston spoke to one of those former schoolgirls, Bongi Mhkabela, about that pivotal moment.

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(Photo: Protesting pupils use the Regina Mundi Church as a refuge during the student uprising in Soweto. Credit: Getty Images)