Young people are encouraged to take up space, grab opportunities and run with them to make sure that the country is in good hands for future generations.
Annoyed with being taught in Afrikaans, more than 20 000 pupils in Soweto clad in school uniforms, took to the streets challenging the authorities to hear their grievances amid the then ill-fated Bantu Education Act.
Some hoisted placards emblazoned with the words, “Down with Afrikaans” and “If we must do Afrikaans, (Prime Minister BJ Vorster) must do Zulu.”
Instead, the police responded by shooting randomly at the unarmed fleeing pupils, with many of them shot in the back. The protest, which began in Soweto quickly spread across the country, and when the dust settled, more than 700 people, many of them pupils, were dead.
This historical event was led by Tsietsi Mashinini, among others.
The National Youth Day, as the day is now called, is a public holiday.
The South African government since the democratic elections of 1994, hosted a string of events to commemorate courageous Soweto class of 1976.
On Sunday, the country celebrated June 16 with different activities.
There is a concern as some young people when asked about the significance of the day, they did not seem to have any knowledge of it.
The Star team spoke to youths in an effort to understand what they know about the historic day.
Tidimalo Bodibe, from Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, said Youth Day serves as a reminder for young people to continue the fight to reclaim their identity, it also serves as a reminder to fight for injustices they are subjected to because the past laid foundation for the present and the present will shape the future.
“Challenges we face as young people in this country are deeper than what meets the eye, first and foremost is the knowledge of thyself, we need to understand our history and who we are before we can even begin to look into other things, we are as lost today because of lack of knowledge of who we were and where we come from,” said Bodibe.
She further said: “The education system needs to change to provide free knowledge for what we need as a country more than incidences of the Western world; for example, we are rich in minerals in the country, we need to be taught how to extract and modify our own minerals according to specifications sent from abroad instead of taking our minerals in their rawest form to other countries to create employment for their people when unemployment of youth is the nightmare in South Africa.”
She said there is a need to equip the youth with skills and knowledge that will make them employable in this country.
To celebrate the day, Bodibe and her colleagues cooked soup and bread for the needy in their community of Katlehong. She said they also donated sanitary towels to young girls in need.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have enough means but we would like to do more for communities. We are trying to get funding as this was out of our own pocket,” said Bodibe.
Lwando Nkosi,17, also from Ekurhuleni, said Youth Day is pivotal to him because a number of people in the older generation sacrificed a lot for so they could have access to education and the life they are living.
“This day holds a significant meaning to me and other young people, we celebrate the legacy and hard work the older generations fought for. For us as young people, (we must) grab each and every opportunity to improve our lives and march to the future. Sacrifices were made, blood and sweat shed. I am inspired to be a better person. There are a lot of challenges that we face as a youth but we must not allow ourselves to fall into substance abuse and other bad traits,” Nkosi said
When asked how he celebrated, Nkosi said for him it was like an ordinary day where he watched movies and relaxed.
Mbulelo Ntshatsha, from south Joburg, said this was a day to commemorate all the sacrifices people made in 1976. He said what makes it special is that it cannot be accredited to any particular political party as all liberation movements at that time were banned.
Ntshatsha said it is inspiring that the youth decided to take a stand in solidarity and faced the apartheid regime head-on and that was a catalyst and a beginning of a revolution where the tables began to turn.
“On that day lives were lost, blood was shed for us to enjoy this freedom because it all started that time, leading to the pressure from the international society calling for the end of lives being lost under apartheid. We must stand together and fight for our future,” he said. | Additional reporting by Daily News
The Star