June is celebrated as Youth Month in South Africa, with a specific focus on 16 June, which is also known as Youth Day. Youth Month pays tribute to the school pupils who lost their lives during the 16 June 1976 uprising in Soweto. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Soweto uprisings. The theme for Youth Month is: “Youth Moving South Africa Forward”. On 16 June 1976, more than 15 000 students gathered at Orlando West Secondary School with the intention of participating in a peaceful march to the nearby Orlando Stadium. The demonstration had been planned in protest against the use of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction at schools.
To help us unpack the topic we spoke to:
• Mampe Ntsedi Project specialist at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund
• Omar Badsha Chief Executive Officer at the S.A History
