SOCIAL ACTIVIST

Hector Pieterson

1963 - 1976

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Zolile Hector Pieterson (19 August 1963 – 16 June 1976) was a South African schoolboy who was shot and killed at the age of 12 during the Soweto uprising and massacre in 1976, when the police opened fire on black students protesting the enforcement of teaching in Afrikaans, mostly spoken by the white and coloured population in South Africa, as the medium of instruction for all school subjects. The pupils wanted to learn in their native languages, Xhosa and Zulu. A news photograph by Sam Nzima of the mortally wounded Pieterson being carried by another Soweto resident while his sister ran next to them was published around the world. The anniversary of his death is the designated Youth Day in South Africa. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 17 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 16 in 2024). Hector Pieterson is the 782nd most popular social activist (down from 741st in 2024), the 307th most popular biography from South Africa (down from 301st in 2019) and the 13th most popular South African Social Activist.

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Among SOCIAL ACTIVISTS

Among social activists, Hector Pieterson ranks 782 out of 840. Before him are Medea Benjamin, Samar Badawi, Lillian Ngoyi, Máxima Acuña, Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, and Inez Milholland. After him are Lina Ben Mhenni, Rouzan al-Najjar, Kumi Naidoo, Sarah Hegazi, Ayanda Denge, and Suraya Pakzad.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1963, Hector Pieterson ranks 1,020. Before him are Shin Joon-sup, José Ricardo Pérez, Sanjay Mishra, Lai Runming, Christine Cavanaugh, and George DiCarlo. After him are Torsten Albig, Philip Glenister, Bahne Rabe, Dariusz Kubicki, Melinda McGraw, and Mary Scheer. Among people deceased in 1976, Hector Pieterson ranks 279. Before him are Barbara Nichols, Anissa Jones, Victoria Spivey, Alastair Sim, Isidoro Sota, and Vera C. Bushfield. After him is Roger Livesey.

Others Born in 1963

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Others Deceased in 1976

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In South Africa

Among people born in South Africa, Hector Pieterson ranks 309 out of 454. Before him are Jeff Coetzee (1977), Chanelle Scheepers (1984), Eudy Simelane (1977), Nick Price (1957), Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (1980), Jonathan Liebesman (1976), Lillian Ngoyi (1911), and Danie Visser (1961). After him are Kumi Naidoo (1965), Ayanda Denge (1982), Sibusiso Zuma (1975), and Rosalyn Fairbank (1960).

Others born in South Africa

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Among SOCIAL ACTIVISTS In South Africa

Among social activists born in South Africa, Hector Pieterson ranks 13. Before him are Devdas Gandhi (1900), Ramdas Gandhi (1897), Denis Goldberg (1933), Albertina Sisulu (1918), Beyers Naudé (1915), and Lillian Ngoyi (1911). After him are Kumi Naidoo (1965), Ayanda Denge (1982), Ayakha Melithafa (2002), Zackie Achmat (1962), and Nkosi Johnson (1989).

South African born Social Activists

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