Black consciousness played a significant role in the liberation struggle in

South Africa in the 1970’s. The emergence of BCM revived the struggle after a
long political vacuum of political activity and opposition to the apartheid
government, which was caused by the banning of the liberation movement of
the ANC and PAC. The BCM become a powerful force of resistance in the
1970s. BCM played a major role in conscietising black South African to free
themselves from the chain of mental oppression. It encouraged blacks to take
up their pride and to rely on themselves. The main aim of Black
Consciousness was for black people to promote pride in themselves, their
values, their culture, their religion and their outlook on life. It is evidence that
the BCM restored values and confidences to black South African that assist
them to stand up and challenge the apartheid government. The BCM filled the
vacuum left by the banning of ANC and PAC.

By the end of 1960s Apartheid states had emerged in a position of strength.

This was because it had crushed the black resistance by banning the
liberation the movement. It also goes further by imprisoning leaders of the
struggle and also threatening harsh police action. As such the South African
had become a militarised state which relied on the army and security forces.
The period was therefore referred to as the silent sixties. This was because
there was no black resistance to challenge Apartheid.

However in the late 1960’s a new voice of opposition to apartheid state

emerged. It proved a direct challenge to the South African government and its
policy of Apartheid, the BCM played a central role in the resistance and it was
also an important influence on the students of Soweto in 1976. It challenge
black South African to access their identity and nature of their oppression.
BCM is the philosophy that advocate black pride and values. It emerged at a
black marginalised University.

The Apartheid states had forbidden black students to form their own
organisation. As such black students joined the National Union of South
African Students (NUSAS). NUSAS was largely dominated by whites. Even
though NUSAS was very critical to apartheid policy states in most of its
decision blacks were marginalised. It meant that Blacks were not fully
represented by NUSAS. Biko blamed the NUSAS whites, that they don't care
about the demands of blacks because those very same whites benefited from
apartheid. Biko based his argument on the fact that inferiority complex from
which black people suffered in South Africa confined them. Black people were
encouraged to empower themselves by taking responsibility of their own
struggle. Black South African should not rely on white liberals. They needed to
develop self confidence in their own abilities. BCM therefore rejected non
racialism which was adopted by the ANC. Black Consciousness developed its
own identity which was specifically linked to their reality of black people living
in South Africa. That's , their need to overcome racial oppression came
directly out of their own experience.

Biko together with other Blacks students they broke away from NUSAS Biko
argued that blacks must form their own organisation that will represent their
interest As such it led to the formation of SASO (South African Student
Organisation) It was formed in 1968 at Turfloop University SASO adopted the
philosophy of BC. SASO played an important role as it continued to spread
the ideas of BCM. It tried by all means to make students to be politically
aware. The most important role of SASO was to promote solidarity and black
unity. In essence all people who were oppressed by the apartheid state they
were encouraged to come together in unity so that they can challenge
apartheid. It eliminated fear that had gripped blacks since the government
was implementing repressive and harsh measures.

SASO became a mouth peace of the oppressed people and it continued to be

the source of information. Black consciousness recognise the need to create
a structure that was not only focused on students. In 1972 the Black Peoples
Convention was formed . It was considered as an umbrella organisation that
coordinated all BC activities Its political aim was to mobilise the mass in their
struggle for both psychological and physical liberation.

On the issue of self reliance BCM formed the Black community program.
These program created a number of self help which involved in different
communities working ton improve their lives. These project led to the building
of schools, clinics and day care centres. It led to the establishment of
Zanempilo Health Clinic. This was the first black owned, black run centre of its
kind. These health centre serves as a source of medical care to black
community. It also served as a source of pride for the black community, hence
the idea of self reliance was achieved and promoted BCM also played a
significant role by encouraging black workers to form their own trade union.

In 1972 BCM launched the Black Allied Workers Union. This was an attempt
to bring workers into BCM and to pledge for solidarity and unity amongst the
black workers. BCM hoped to attract black entrepreneur into BC in an attempt
to encouraged self reliance.

In 1974 the BCM and BPC staged massive rallies in support of the newly
formed Frelimo government in neighboring Angola and Mozambique, which
had just successfully challenged the Portuguese colonial regime. These rallies
led to several clashes with police.

One of the significant role of BCM was its impact on student protest. The
formation of South African Student Movement was an evident that black
students were turning to be militant and had self confidence to challenge the
Apartheid. Students started to rejects the Bantu Education and they call for a
change of that curriculum Number of SASO students walked out of the
Universities as a protest against discrimination. They became teachers in
Soweto schools and they had profound influence on students. As such
students were inspired by teachers who have talks of BC and self
assertiveness. As such the students started to challenge the apartheid
regime.

However the BCM was not involved in the formal organisation of the Soweto
Uprising. It was its philosophy and ideas that captured the imagination of the
youth and they were filled with self confidence to their own circumstances.
Youth of Soweto were angry and frustrated by the socio economic hardship.
They were living under terrible condition overcrowded condition with no
facilities, coupled with massive inflation and high unemployment rate.

The Soweto uprising happened on the 16th of June 1976. On the day of the
protest protest students marched, protesting mainly against bantu education
and the other socio-economic factors which were affecting them. However the
protest did not go as planned, as the police used force (violence) to attempt to
stop the protest. The police and the army used teargas and started to shoot
the children to try and disperse the crowed, this left a lot of children injured
and some of them were killed and amongst those who were killed was 13 year
old Hector Peterson.

At first the government did not mind the BCM as the they believed that the
BCM kept to its ideas of separate development. after the Soweto uprising and
the growing resistance that followed the uprising the government responded
with arresting,torturing or killing many of the BCM’s leaders, list of leaders
who were arrested was Steve Biko. The government banned several Black
organizations, including the likes of BPC, making it difficult for members to
meet.

Steve Biko was arrested twice in the 1970’s, at first he was sentenced to
house arrest and was supposed to stay away from politics, however he did
not do this as such his last arrest leading to his death in September 1977. He
died while in police custody after being shackled, beaten and tortured by the
police.

Even thought Steve Biko passed away his ideas and the Black conscious
philosophy did not die with him as they continued to live on. we see this
through the formation of The Azanian Peoples Organisation (Azapo)
The influence of black consciousness spread to the schools. Students were
aware of SASO protesting against inequality in education and fighting for their
rights. On June 1976 the students of Soweto took to the streets to protest the
new government regulations that black students had to study three of their
subjects in Afrikaans. The Soweto Uprising was the beginning of the end of
Apartheid . It becomes evident that the black conscious movement had played
a significant role by instilling bravery confidence and self determination to
Soweto students so that they can stand up and challenge the apartheid
regime. Students of Soweto stood up boldly fought their rights. The
government could no longer ignore the demands of black people.