Johannesburg - The mother of the 13-year-old boy who died 33 years ago during a protest march in Soweto, says she has come to terms with the bitter memories of the 1976 Soweto uprising.
Speaking to BuaNews during the wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial site of her late son, Hector Peterson, in Soweto on Tuesday, Dorothy Molefi Peterson said: "I have put the Soweto uprising in my long term memory and I have come to terms with its bitter memories.
"I have also forgiven the architects of the apartheid regime for the loss of my son, but I will never forget that fateful day," she said.
Ms Petersen said the current generation should take the commemoration of 16 June seriously since it was one of South Africa's turning points to democracy.
"If the young generation can come together like my son and several others did in 1976, singing one song, this country will be rated amongst the best in the world," she told BuaNews.
Hector Petersen was the first victim of the uprising that began as a peaceful protest by 20 000 black students opposed to the apartheid government's introduction of Afrikaans as the language of teaching in schools.
Fearing the start of a revolution, local police responded with violence, firing bullets at unarmed demonstrators, killing many children.
Several hundreds more were seriously wounded. The bloodshed spread across the country and at least 700 more people were killed in the events that followed.
Like Nelson Mandela, Hector became a symbol of the civil rights struggle for many South Africans.
It is for this reason that 33rd anniversary of National Youth Day and subsequently his death marks the beginning of the Soweto uprising, an event that will being celebrated throughout the country as a turning point in history.
The memory of Hector's short life is preserved at a museum dedicated to him in Soweto, which is situated only a few yards away from where he was killed.
The younger brother of the President of the Students representative council at the time, Dee Mashinini said the current generation should respect and value education.
"To some of us this day brought a lot of bitter memories because a lot of young people's blood was shed.
"These current generations need to understand that they cannot get education if they are criminals, leaders of gangs and drug addicts. They need to value education," he said.
The commemoration in Gauteng started with the opening of the multi-million rand upgraded Koma Road in Soweto by the City of Johannesburg executive mayor, Amos Masondo.
It was followed by the wreath-laying ceremony at the Hector Peterson Memorial site by Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane accompanied by Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane and Mr Masondo.
Mr Chabane told BuaNews that Hector's death and the uprising must always be remembered because they were a catalyst for the liberation of the country.
He said the commemoration takes place within the context of government's recent approval of the national youth policy (NYP) 2009 to 2014 and the establishment of the national youth development agency (NYDC), formed though the merger of umsobomvu youth fund and the national youth commission.
"Youth are central to strengthening the hard-earned democracy, building a united and better country for all.
"We need to protect and defend the right of young people and empower them to understand their responsibilities," he said.
President Jacob Zuma is expected to deliver his key note address at the main event to be held in Ekurhuleni.
