Latest news with #FeesMustFall
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Hector Pieterson's sister calls on today's youth to find a cause
What has changed in education since 1976? Hector Pieterson's sister Antoinette Sithole arrives at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, 16 June 2025, to give a lecture on her brotherwho was shot dead by the apartheid police on 16 June 1976. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/ The Citizen Antoinette Sithole, sister of June 1976 uprising shooting victim, schoolboy Hector Pieterson, says her generation is sad to see the behaviour of today's youth. They take weapons to school, attack their teachers and fellow pupils, and abuse drugs on the school premises, she noted. 'To me, the meaning of Youth Day is how to tackle your own problems. As youth, you should be out there writing placards to say 'we are tired of gender-based violence'. As parents, we will support you. 'Make a bold statement. You will be supported by billions out there in the world,' she said. Sithole said she had long ago decided to forgive the killers of her brother, Hector. 'I am on the side of those who say it's best that I don't know the person who killed my brother, because I want everything in my life to be positive,' Sithole said. Sithole was addressing an audience that included youths from different cultural backgrounds and political activists to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the police killings of pupils protesting against Afrikaans being used as a medium of instruction in black schools. She will be 66 on 28 June. What are today's youth fighting for? Another panel speaker at the event, Dr Tshepo Moloi, head of the department of history at the University of Johannesburg, related the plan to organise the 1976 uprising under the auspices of the South African Students Movement linked to the Black Consciousness Movement. Moloi made a comparison between the youth of 1976 and today's youth, saying the former were activists while questions linger about the influence today's youth have on change. However, a guest, Esinako Ndabeni, noted that the #FeesMustFall student activists played a significant role in bringing about change in the education system. Remembering Hector Sithole remembers her younger brother, Hector, as a shy but naughty little boy who once got her into trouble with train security guards. Sithole went on the train with her brother frequently, but he would ask her not to buy their weekly train tickets to school and instead to keep the money. They managed to get free rides a few times, but on the third day, she was caught by the security guards while trying to escape. Hector had already escaped and was waiting for his sister, laughing and dancing. The guards accused her of teaching her brother not to pay for tickets. Although she managed to convince the security guards to let her go, she gave her little brother a tongue lashing and vowed never to try to wangle a free train ride again. Hector, who was close to their mother, loved kung fu movies, and his hero was Bruce Lee, whose films he would watch repeatedly every weekend. 'Hector was very humble and not talkative. I know that comrades see Hector as a struggle hero, but I don't share that view. 'To me he was just my brother. He shouldn't have been there in the first place. 'He was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was shot by the police,' Sithole said. Still taught in Afrikaans She said the 1976 generation opposed Afrikaans because it was the language of the oppressor. 'We hated Afrikaans because the owner of that language was our oppressor. We felt we were oppressed by the Afrikaners. Now we have to be instructed in their language. No way,' she said. On the 49th anniversary of the 1976 uprising in which scores of pupils were killed by police and hundreds injured, Sithole said it was shocking that pupils today still have to pass Afrikaans to proceed to the next grade. She believed the language should have been taken out of the syllabus by the democratic government and replaced with a language from other African countries. 'We thought our education would be the best after all that happened. 'But I am not a politician, it's not for me to tell them what to do,' she said. Sithole, who was 16 and doing form 3 (now grade 10) at Phefeni Senior Secondary in Orlando when the 1976 student uprisings occurred, related how she found her 13-year-old brother on the other side of the pavement while police were shooting. He came to her side, but when the police fired more shots, the boy disappeared in the crowd and they were separated. Later she saw student Mbuyisa Makhubo, then 18, carrying her limp brother's body running past her. She followed him and asked who he was and where he was taking her brother, but Makhubo kept running and put Hector in a journalist's car. They took him to the clinic, but he was already dead.
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
From 1976 to 2025: is protest culture still relevant to youth?
Like the youth of 1976, today's young people are passionate about creating a better world through protest, but their voices are often ignored. With many set to look back at the events of June 1976, a question many ponder is whether protest culture is still relevant to today's youth. Mcebo Dlamini, former Witwatersrand SRC and #Feesmustfall activist, still believes that protest culture for young people is as necessary now as it was during the Soweto Uprising because he believes that protest culture in its truest sense is a disruption of the norm. If the norm does not favour young people, that norm must be disrupted. Dlamini emphasised the fact that young people must unite and devise strategies on how to make their protests sustainable and impactful. 'Young people must penetrate all spaces where there is an opportunity to change their conditions for the better, the youth must saturate such a space, at least where there is total freedom and white supremacy, along with capitalism, does not reign.' Sihle Seleke, who is a prominent anti gender-based violence activist and founder of the Kwanele Foundation, believes protesting is not 100% relevant. While it raises public awareness, Seleke argues that leaders often fail to take meaningful action and young people can protest as much as they want, but implementation on the ground is still lacking. Seleke said young people must protest through voting and with the local elections coming up, young people need to vote for the change they want to see. 'This thing of voting because our grandmother liked whatever party and it's trendy no longer serves a purpose. The only way we can protest in the right way is to vote, let your vote be your change, let your vote be your voice because femicide is on the rise on a daily basis,' she said Dlamini said that as long as the hierarchies that existed during apartheid have not been altered, there is always going to be a need to protest and believes it puts local politics in a loop. He said the questions that 'our forefathers were dealing with' were still the same problems that 'we are dealing with in the present.' 'It is almost as if we are trapped in an endless cycle of suffering and the wheel just keeps on turning,' he said. 'A proper diagnosis of this is that we are not dealing with the problems of the youth from a structural level but we are too focused on the symptoms instead of dealing with the root cause. which in this case includes an education that denies black people access to tertiary institutions on the basis that they do not have money. Fees Must Fall was an opportune moment, which did give us certain gains but failure to stretch to society as a whole was the limitation.' 'Our president has signed many beautiful laws and bills into power but we're still to see implementation. Anti-GBV activist Sihle Seleke Dlamini said young people must unite and devise strategies on how to make their protests sustainable and impactful. 'Young people must penetrate all spaces where there is an opportunity to change their conditions for the better; the youth must saturate such a space.' Angela Molepo, a 20-year-old gender-based violence activist who was the first young person to start a national shutdown over the Cwecwe case through an organisation called Justice SA, said if young people limit their activism to hashtags, they are not going to go anywhere. For Molepo, protest doesn't hold the same relevance nor does it help with anything, due to the government studying the new generation. 'People protest on social media, hoping it will be public knowledge to our government, which is never the case. When the government sees a group of youth fighting over something, they try to shut us down. We still have our voice, but we are waiting for people of power to remind us of that because we are conditioned into thinking we don't know ourselves and our belonging,' said Molepo. 'Young people are fighting for job opportunities because those in power, who benefited from apartheid, are holding onto positions and leaving no space for the youth.' This is a painful reminder to Seleke who continues to highlight a concerns of South African youth. Due to a lack of employment, Seleke says it's not fair that young people still protest over such socioeconomic issues. 'Our president has signed many beautiful laws and bills into power but we're still to see implementation. Our president claims that [alleged perpetrators of] gender-based violence and femicide should not be given bail freely, but we're still seeing them getting bail. Our government is playing with our minds. For example they brought into law the POPI Act, which states you cannot disclose someone's personal details without their permission or else you will be prosecuted. It's a crime but guess what? We are amplifying our voices saying the sexual offenders' list must be made public so we will know who's on that list but the POPI Act is stopping us from making the sexual offenders' list public because we cannot expose their identity so who's fooling who,' said Seleke. Collen Malatji of the ANC Youth League, who grew up in crime-ridden Thembisa, believes that this Youth Month should be a call to action. He urges young people to unite and fight against the systemic issues that affect them, advocating for liberation for all. Malatji emphasises the relevance of protesting, noting that its purpose has evolved from fighting against the apartheid system to raising awareness about the prevailing agendas and cultures that perpetuate inequality. He stresses that protesting should be a regular form of expression, whether in good or bad times. With the advent of new platforms, Malatji acknowledges that young people now have more avenues to make their voices heard. However, he notes that those in power often forget the struggles of the youth, making it necessary for young people to remind them through protest. Malatji emphasises that addressing gender-based violence requires more male role models in communities, teaching boys how to respect and treat women. He notes that this issue transcends economic status, as even wealthy men abuse women. Malatji's vision is for South Africa's youth to take ownership of the country's economic activities, becoming responsible leaders who drive positive change. He urges young people to be proactive, responding to economic demands and speaking out against injustices, rather than passively observing wrongdoing. Young people can protest as much as they want, but implementation on the ground is still lacking.
IOL News
6 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Youth Resistance: The Psychological Impact from Apartheid to Today
Awam Mavimbela is a registered social worker, former Walter Sisulu University Lecturer, PhD candidate with University of the Free State, and a published author Image: Supplied BOTH the youth of 1976 and today's generation in South Africa face similar challenges, including oppression and poverty, which have contributed to widespread instability and a sense of mental suffocation. This psychological doldrum stems from the harsh conditions they endure—such as dilapidated housing, inadequate education that leads to poverty, unemployment, poor mental health, and more. The death of Hector Pieterson occurred on a peaceful decolonial turn in 1976. One key argument of this historic epoch was that the Bantu Education curriculum by design aims not to liberate Black South Africans from the socio-economic margins imposed by colonialism. Instead, it institutionalised poverty and produced labourers rather than individuals equipped with political and economic awareness. Poverty brings with it profound psychological impacts—depression, frustration, suicidal ideation, and despair. Today's youth also suffer from mental suffocation, and their resistance—from the #FeesMustFall movement to the present day—has come at great cost, with the deaths of young people such as Sisonke Mbolekwa, Benjamin Phehla, Mthokozisi Ntumba, and Mlungisi Madonsela. Fees Must Fall was not only a call for free education, but also for a decolonised curriculum. This was predicated on the observation that, the colonial legacy of apartheid education curriculum still sidelines vulnerable groups, reducing them to labourers rather than ideological independent, critically engaged, politically and economically conscious individuals. Therefore, this continued colonial education system partly explains the low youth voter turnout. All those who have died—from Hector Pieterson to today's student activists—were casualties of state-led systems. The dominant narrative around the 1976 uprising often simplifies it to a rejection of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. However, Tsietsi McDonald Mashinini and his collective were rejecting a broader system of economic exclusion. Their peaceful protest sought to collapse the economy by urging the oppressed to stay in their domiciles, highlighting how the oppressed were being used to sustain an economy they did not benefit from. Afrikaans, in that context, was merely the breaking point. The youth resistance was not about replacing Afrikaans with English—it was about dismantling a system designed to marginalise them. Similarly, Fees Must Fall was not only about tuition fees, but about the ongoing struggle that Mashinini and others had begun. Today, the education system continues to suffocate youth through debt, exclusion, unemployment, and a curriculum that perpetuates alienating narratives, further marginalising vulnerable groups. A concrete example is the overlooked history of the Xhosa nation's 100-year legacy—stories that could foster pride, patriotism, civic responsibility, and an understanding that issues like marginalisation are a legacy of apartheid and demand radical redress. The inability of many Black South Africans to afford university fees is rooted in the colonial institutionalisation of poverty. Decolonising the curriculum would highlight these historical truths and support the push for free, accessible education that tackles systemic oppression. Undoubtedly, Hector Pieterson, Sisonke Mbolekwa, Benjamin Phehla, Mthokozisi Ntumba, and Mlungisi Madonsela would not have died if oppressive conditions did not exist. Today, the nature of oppression has shifted—from overt brutality to systemic economic exclusion. The oppressor has changed form, moving from a white-led apartheid regime to a predominantly white-controlled economic system, with one agenda. Any society becomes unstable when a portion of its population is deeply marginalised. We see this reflected in 'global' unrest, such as the riots in Los Angeles. In South Africa, today's youth appear mentally suffocated, which may contribute to instability. While many may not be fully politically or socially conscientised, events such as the gender-based violence cases involving Cwecwe and Namhla demonstrate that the youth can be mobilised at any moment. Therefore, the South African government must reflect deeply—especially during June 16 commemorations—on the state of the nation's youth. Are they celebrating June 16 as a historic event, or living its continued struggle? This day and its surrounding month mark a decolonial turning point, a time when young people sought to collapse an economy from which they were excluded. With today's high youth unemployment, that struggle persists. The only difference is that the government is now led by a former liberation movement that has, perhaps unconsciously, continued many aspects of the apartheid agenda. *The opinions expressed in this article does not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper. DAILY NEWS
IOL News
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Celebrate Youth Month with powerful Jozi productions: 'The Good White' and 'Sarafina!'
Vusi Kunene, Shonisani Masutha, Russel Savadier and Renate Stuurman are the all-star cast in 'The Good White'. Image: Ngoma Mphahlele With this being Youth Month, the following poignant productions are not to be missed. The Good White This production by Mike van Graan transports the audience back to 2016, when Jacob Zuma was running the country, corruption was rife, and the #FeesMustFall movement gained momentum. Set against a backdrop ripe for introspection, the play focuses on four characters – portrayed by Russel Savadier, Renate Stuurman, Vusi Kunene, and Shonisani Masutha – as they grapple with fundamental questions about their beliefs, identities, and the paths they have chosen. Directed by Greg Homann, this production serves as both a forceful critique and a thought-provoking reflection. The play's power and theatricality combine to create an experience audiences will not soon forget. Please note, it has a PG-13 age restriction. Where: Market Theatre. When: June 4 - 8, 7pm. Sarafina! This is a special restaging of the critically acclaimed musical, a tribute to Dr Mbongeni Ngema. Telling a crucial part of South Africa's story, 'Sarafina!' entertains, uplifts, and empowers young people. Set against the backdrop of Morris Isaacson High School in Soweto, the story unfolds in the wake of the historic events of 1976, when approximately 200 000 black students united in protest against the apartheid regime's oppressive education system. Through its captivating performances and evocative music, 'Sarafina!' strives to bring this significant moment in history to life, reminding audiences of the enduring spirit of resistance and the ongoing quest for social and political justice. With its moving story, it celebrates the strength and bravery of South Africa's female heroes, highlighting their sacrifices and victories in the struggle against oppression. Directed by the renowned Mpho Molepo, with choreography by the innovative Nompumelele Gumede-Ngema, this production carries a PG-10 age restriction. Where: Mandela Theatre at Joburg Theatre. When: June 4 to 15, 11am.
TimesLIVE
27-05-2025
- TimesLIVE
'I can't stop thinking about her laugh': Tributes flow for murdered Olorato Mongale
The murder of 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, a student whose life was full of promise and light, has left a community shattered and a family drowning in grief. As news of her death spread, an outpouring of love, sorrow and anger has emerged, painting a portrait of a bright soul stolen far too soon. The body of the missing young woman was found in Lombardy East, Johannesburg, in the early hours of Monday morning. The heartbreaking discovery was confirmed by family spokesperson Criselda Kananda. Olorato, a Rhodes University graduate who was studying for an advanced degree at Wits, was reported missing on Sunday afternoon after going on a date with a man who picked her up from Kew, Johannesburg. Disturbing CCTV pictures circulating on social media show Mongale dressed in a black sweater, black shirt and white shoes leaving a location in Kew and walking towards a white VW Polo. Kananda revealed that Mongale's body was 'brutally violated', adding a sombre weight to the tragedy that has rocked the community. Bianca Cele, a close friend, said Olorato was a beacon of light. 'Olorato was the bright spark behind an iconic pic of me from #FeesMustFall that trended as a meme. She posted it to troll me, because she could never understand how someone so silly online could be so serious in real life. 'She made you laugh even in chaos ... That was her gift. Her humour, her warmth, her laughter, she was infectious and unforgettable,' said Cele. 'That's what I'll hold onto. Her laugh. Her light,' Cele said.
