This year’s Youth Day commemorates 49 years since the June 16 Student Uprisings (also known as the Soweto Massacres), a crucial turning point in the liberation struggle of South Africa.
In 1976, Soweto, the unbridled bravery of tens-of-thousands of schoolchildren ignited a countrywide rebellion, setting in motion a transformation that would define the future. The merciless killing of hundreds of these vulnerable children left an indelible mark on the country’s collective memory, a painful reminder of both widespread devastation, and the powerful legacy forged by South African youth.
“Youth is a time of revolt, and we owe much of progress to the discontent of youth.” This was so befittingly spoken by our former President Nelson Mandela, who was an avid advocate for the role of the youth in driving social change. In fact, the youth of June 16 are an immensely impactful example of the youth in driving political and legislative changes that shaped our acclaimed Constitution of today.
With the recent passing of the African Literary Giant, Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o, the painstaking realities of language as a tool of oppression – particularly in education – has once more been revealed. In fact, it has brought to the fold, once more, the reality that although we are over three decades into our post-democratic society, the historical legacy of apartheid still has its tentacles tightly gripped around our society.
Mere days ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that he is going to be holding a National Dialogue, an opportunity for all SA citizens to address everything from broken institutions, gender-based violence and unemployment, to hunger, land, corruption, and the daily threat of violence. Although participatory processes that centre the voice of the community are invaluable, the South African government has – for far too long – hosted elite roundtables recycling the same broken promises.
And truly, dialogue without action is not progress, it’s deflection.
For decades now, the youth – particularly in higher education institutions – have fiercely battled the plight to Decolonise Education, and the curriculum overall. A process largely linked to the philosophy of Ubuntu, Decolonising the Curriculum is a multifaceted process that academics say entails acknowledging the plethora of African languages and their legitimacy in imparting all forms of knowledge, meaningfully embracing indigenous knowledge systems, fostering inclusive learning environments and structures, and so much more. Across every area of institutional reform within education, language stands as the elephant in the room.
It is, in fact, an absolute travesty that the challenges of the youth of the June 16 Student Massacre are so eerily similar to the challenges of the youth of #FeesMustFall, and the issues that are grappled with by students nationwide, on a yearly basis.
For countless South Africans, language remains a bridge and a barrier. Despite the constitutional recognition of 11 official languages, the dominance of Afrikaans and English continues to marginalise the vast majority who speak indigenous languages as their mother tongue. This linguistic inequality severely reinforces class, racial, and educational divides. It makes it profoundly more difficult for millions to access healthcare, quality education, justice, economic opportunities, and so much more.
In fact, it is a cruel irony that decades after liberation – both nationally and continentally – children are still being taught in colonial languages foreign to their homes and histories. The late Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o was spot-on in his argument that African’s present-day use of colonial languages is a form of mental enslavement and cultural obliteration. Language is not merely a form of communication; it is a carrier of culture, dignity, belonging, and a key component of our identities as African people.
“Language carries culture, and culture carries – particularly through orature and literature – the entire body of values by which we come to perceive ourselves and our place in the world,” Prof wa Thiong’o wrote, “Language is not just a string of words. It is a culture, a worldview, a memory bank of a people’s history.”
The state’s failure to invest meaningfully in the development, teaching, and institutional use of indigenous languages is a quiet violence, one that erases South Africans identities, disempowers communities, and deepens systemic exclusion. This compounds the challenges faced in our society, most painfully felt by our youth.
June 16 – Youth Day – is not only a commemoration of the slain youth of the Soweto Massacre, and the undeniable impact that their legacy has left in our nation, it is also about earnestly responding to the realities and challenges of the youth of today. From institutional biases, to issues of access, to rampant unemployment, compounded by the stratified cost of living, there are a great deal of issues that young people grapple with in our society. These challenges are also greatly worsened by the vulnerabilities faced by youth – especially females – in our society. According to a report by MHI Attorneys, 115 women are raped each day, and 3 women are killed every day by their intimate partners, and gun violence rates have sky-rocketed, “with the proportion of women shot dead reaching the highest rate ever recorded.”
Although the government has been forthcoming in implementing policies and support structures to tackle the surge of Gender-based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in our society, they have been far too nonchalant about meaningfully stifling its prevalence in our society. Very recently, we have had the unjust brutalization of innocents such as 30 year old Wits student Olorato Mongale, the 22 year old stabbed in broad daylight, Karabo Mokoena, 11 year old Jayden-Lee Meek who’s bruised body was found in a staircase, the murder and mutilation of 14 year old Likhona Fose, 4 year old Davin Africa who was gunned down whilst sleeping, and so, so many more.
From the youngest child, to the most formidable adult, the youth is not sufficiently protected, valued, or nurtured in our society. The onus of protecting our society is not solely on law enforcement or government, it is a collective responsibility that sees a child protected from the home, street, school and the community itself. It is a collective effort to ensure that predators of all kinds are targeted and removed from our communities, permanently. As Frederick Douglass once perceptively said: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
South Africa’s youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the powerful change-makers of today. They are shaping a society that is more tolerant, creative, equitable, and inclusive. Their energy and innovation are critical in driving advancement across every sector of our society. From harnessing technological innovations, to building efficient, interconnected communities, to breathing new life into the arts and cultural industries, shaping our national identity through music, film, and digital storytelling.
Young people are reimagining education to be more accessible and relevant, launching businesses that tackle meaningfully unemployment and inequality, whilst bolstering our economy. They are pioneering smart, sustainable solutions for our environmental challenges. They are standing on the frontlines of activism and social justice, raising their voices against discrimination, advocating for human rights, and holding power to accountability. They are effortlessly blending the traditions and histories of the past with the advancements and innovations of the present day.
The youth of today are the engines of progress – collaborating, overcoming, embracing creativity and innovation, all whilst adapting and thriving amid challenges. The youth is imagining bold new futures for our nation, and supporting them is not only wise, it is essential. They are the key drivers of societal evolution, and they are positioned at the heart of our nation’s development.
When you see young activists, student activism against institutional biases, activism against structural exclusions, environmental activism, progressive religious activists, queer activists, child activists, social justice activists, climate change activists, and so many more, we should be gratified with the knowledge that we are sprouting young active citizenry. When we see young activists, we should note that as exemplary of the spirit of the 1976 youth of South Africa.
The fire that burned in the hearts of the June 16 generation still burns today. Thirty-one years ago, the world was forced to witness what South Africa had long ignored: that young people are not only the future, they are often the first to demand it be just, free, and worth inheriting. These valiant students faced bullets in order to dismantle a system that sought to erase their minds, futures, and Black identity. Steve Biko’s message: “The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed,” echoed in their minds, and continues to reverberate through the soul of today’s youth. They are challenging every structure that tells them they are less, and they are refusing to inherit silence.
The history of youth in South Africa is one that is written in stone, unchangeable, and truly distinguished. To truly honour the commemoration of June 16 is to not only remember their sacrifice, but to fuel the revolution they began.
Today’s youth do not inherit a legacy, but rather, they continue a revolution. As the mother of the nation, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela once brilliantly said: “The power of the people is greater than the people in power.”
