Youth Day commemorates the Soweto uprising which spread across South Africa. On June,16 1976, about 20,000 students from Soweto undertook a peaceful protest march against the Bantu education system which was poorly equipped, overcrowded, separated and run by inadequately trained professionals. The protest, which originally began as a result of an apartheid directive that stated that the Afrikaans language be used on an equal basis with the English language, ended in bloodshed as nearly 700 people, mostly adolescents, were murdered by the apartheid government\’s police.
Youth Day is commemorated annually on 16 June as a reminder of the importance of youth and their voices. The day also serves to commemorate those young people who lost their lives in the struggle against Apartheid and the Bantu Education System. June 16 must not only include conversations that acknowledge that struggle and those who died. But must also confront current problems and struggles faced by youth today. Youth day cannot just be all talk it has to translate into meaningful actions that address the issues of the growing unemployment rate especially that of youth.
We honour the young people who make huge sacrifices for our society and we seek out opportunities for courageous engagement with young people who wish to take up the torch of leadership from young leaders who have gone before.
Rural young women are continually subjected to extreme levels of gender-based violence, and unemployment among young people is the highest it has ever been in South Africa. Differently gendered youth are continually at the risk of violent attacks, including murder and rape, and are constantly being made to feel unwelcome and excluded
Children and youth in South Africa suffer various challenges. The most vulnerable and most affected are the poor and rural communities.
As opposed to the youth of 1976, our struggle is not only poor education but social challenges such as unemployment, child and human trafficking, child abuse, HIV/Aids, gender-based violence and femicide, depression and substance abuse.
Similarly, access to land is a challenge that many youth in South Africa face. Land continues to be essential to start a business, produce food and/or generate an income. However, many youth face obstacles in accessing land.
Helping young people access land allows them to participate in rural economies while making progress on gender equity, food security, and adaptation to climate change. There is untapped potential for youth in South Africa to not only break the poverty cycle for themselves, but also to transform rural economies, make progress on gender equity, and reduce food insecurity. That potential lies in the land — a resource many youth are missing.
Youth land rights can also open the door to gender equity. Young women are half as likely as young men to hold sole title to a plot of land in rural areas, yet we know strong land rights can increase the decision-making power of women and girls. Secure access to land can offer a head start for young women and girls to break the vicious cycle of GBV instead gain livelihoods and economic independence. Securing land rights for a new generation of young farmers is an opportunity we cannot let pass us by. Rural youth needs to advocate for access to markets, policies, and institutions that are inclusive of young people. We need to build avenues beyond inheritance for youth to access land and strengthen the legal services available for them to secure it.
Youth deserve a voice in decision-making; we need to engage young farmers, youth leaders and youth-led organizations to enhance youth participation in land governance processes and ensure the development and implementation of youth responsive policies, laws, and institutions.
Without action, the alarming trend of youth unemployment, gender inequity, and climate change will continue. Education and awareness on youth land rights, has the potential to unlock young people’s involvement in food production process and allow for greater understanding of the value of land.
