Youth day 1976
This past weekend South Africa celebrated the 42nd anniversary of the youth uprising in 1976 in their fight against the many injustices the apartheid government imposed on the black people, the much inferior education system of Bantu education as well as the lack of qualified educators, the last straw being for them, the making of Afrikaans a medium of instruction in black schools.
Their fight and their struggle has been talked of for many years in our country but the message seems to have been lost in translation somewhere down the line because the youth of today, well aware that blood was spilled, innocent blood, on this day in order for them to enjoy these rights that they so constantly boas of, use this day to drink and be merry. Worst of all, they do this while attired in their school uniforms.
The struggles if the youth of '76 were a struggle for better education, fair education, a right that on paper we may enjoy but on ground level, not so much. How can we say our education is freedom worthy when our education system us ranked amongst the lowest in the world.https://www.google.co.za/search?q=sa+education+ranking&oq=sa+education+ra&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l3.9839j0j4&client=ms-android-mobiwire&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8 How can we when those that fight for us to get free tertiary education are now in jails and out of school, not enjoying the benefits of their struggle.
To top it off, those of us who do get an education are stuck unemployed, with no prospects. How can this be as we celebrate the creation of 144 000 jobs, yet the number of people looking for jobs is at 43 000? Our youth, and government have a long way to go before the struggle is over. We cannot afford to get education, yet when we try, our efforts are in vain.
Youth day '76 Facts
1. More than 500 youth, mostly under 23 died
2. Hector Pieterson is believed to have been the second victim after Hastings Ndlovu
3. Sam Nzima took the photograph well known to depict the events of that day
3. Some of the irgainwsers such as Tsietsi Mashinini's whereabouts are unknown to this day after fleeing the country due to pressure from the police to find and arrest them
4. Youth day, lasted longer than one day and took place in not just Soweto
Sources
Heraldlive.co.za
Teaveller24
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