The correct option is (b) 2 only.
Explanation
The Soweto Uprising (1976) was a series of demonstrations and protests led by black school children in South Africa. It served as a major turning point in the anti-apartheid struggle, highlighting the resistance against the discriminatory education policies of the National Party government.Statement 1 is Incorrect: The uprising was not led by mine workers but by thousands of black school students. It was organized by the Soweto Students’ Representative Council’s (SSRC) Action Committee. The protests were specifically focused on educational grievances rather than labor wages.
Statement 2 is Correct: The primary catalyst for the protests was the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in local schools alongside English. The "Afrikaans Medium Decree" of 1974 forced black students to learn subjects like mathematics and social studies in Afrikaans, which they viewed as the "language of the oppressor."
Statement 3 is Incorrect: Hector Pieterson was not a government official; he was a 12-year-old schoolboy who was shot and killed by the police during the protests. The photograph of a dying Hector Pieterson being carried by a fellow student became an iconic symbol of the brutality of the apartheid regime and the uprising itself.
Key Takeaway: The Soweto Uprising was a student-led movement triggered by the mandatory use of Afrikaans in schools, marking a significant escalation in the global condemnation of Apartheid.