During the festivities and remembrances of the Soweto Uprising of 1976, it is important to remember the youth then did what the youth of 2026 fail to do today: mobilise, organise and show solidarity and bravery.
It is 50 years since the atrocities of 1976 took place, and the last attempt at successfully mobilising can arguably be the Fallist movement. The youth of 2026 continue to live under the weight of crises that have held our communities and livelihoods hostage for too long.
The continued suffering is the result of systems that have failed to respond to their needs. The million-rand question is: why is this anger not driving us to mobilise and demand solutions to the ever-deepening social issues affecting our communities?
The youth were encouraged to go to school and further their studies to get good jobs, yet youth unemployment in South Africa increased to roughly 61% in the first quarter.
The youth who are employed tend to be scraping by as sector education and training authority internships, which are mainly reserved for the youth, pay between R2,000 and R7,500 per month. Many government internships pay R7,000 to R8,000 per month for 24-months.
According to reports, interns also find working tricky as they are expected to make tea for their colleagues, make copies and sometimes do tasks that do not add value to their professional growth.
When employees try to defend themselves through unions, they are faced with prejudice, detriment and negative treatment when involved in union activities
Lastly, South Africa’s national minimum wage is R30.23 per hour, which equates to R4,800 to R5,900 per month depending on hours worked. The money must last them the entire month, including expenses.
People need to eat every day, and the household food basket cost R5,452.09 in April 2026 before the fuel and interest rate increases. About 31.1% of South African employees surveyed reported experiencing workplace bullying.
In a workplace survey of 963 employees, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group found 52% of them had a medically documented mental health disorder. Across all sectors, work was shown to be a significant source of stress.
When employees try to defend themselves through unions, they are faced with prejudice, detriment and negative treatment when involved in union activities.
Many refrain from union activities and involvement out of fear of being replaced, especially when youth unemployment is as high as it is. Others fear dealing with unfair labour practices at the CCMA because they may be dismissed or look unhireable.
A study showed how young people aged 18 to 35 spend more than half of their income on basic survival needs, leaving almost no room for savings or wealth creation. These are only the tip of the iceberg, but this has not fazed the youth to stand up for themselves.
History shows nothing changes unless we change. Why are we not changing it? The youth of 1976 and trade unionists of apartheid South Africa had more to lose than we do, and they risked it all for the cause.
Their actions had more consequences, including death. However, the 2026 youth seem to shy away from taking risks and standing up for themselves. Why are we not as brave, even though we have more rights and less to lose?
Does it not match our aesthetic? Do we have the morals and discipline to stick by the cause? Do we have the bravery and will to fight for the freedom we want, or do we want to continue being keyboard warriors using social media to vent out our frustrations instead of mobilising and taking ourselves out of these tedious situations? 1976 was rooted in anger and the fallist movement was rooted in anger. Are we not angry enough?
When some of us move closer to privilege, do we begin to distance ourselves from those who are trapped by the same structures that trapped us?
Steve Biko’s work reminds us that sometimes when some black people get the opportunity to get a better education, a better professional status or start being associated with white institutions, they could internalise the apartheid hierarchy, and this leads them to reproduce ideas and narratives of superiority in the black communities of which they have always been a part.
Have we as a collective become so estranged from the struggles of our own peers that we no longer recognise ourselves in the suffering of others?
Perhaps we have convinced ourselves that certain social, political and economic injustices are no longer our problem simply because we have gained limited access to spaces once denied to us (our kind)? Such as decent and fair employment?
Maybe the most dangerous fruit that an unequal system bears is not only the suffering it produces; maybe it is the way in which the unequal system can divide people from one another.
When some of us move closer to privilege, do we begin to distance ourselves from those who are trapped by the same structures that trapped us?
We shy away from solidarity to confront injustice because it threatens our own comfort, and maybe that’s because we have accepted the suffering of our peers because we believe survival requires looking away from wrongdoings. Could this be a counter reflection of Ubuntu/Botho?
In the case of the 2026 youth, fear has replaced solidarity. It’s every man and woman for themselves, and that is why injustice continues to be normalised in South Africa.
We lack the courage to demand the changes we want, so we have allowed oppressive systems to breed as we accept the inevitable. Biko reminds us oppression succeeds when people begin to accept the standards and categories created by the system itself.
Have we let oppression win? Are we letting it win? In 50 years, when the youth of 2076 ask us about our youth and our legacy, will we be proud of our legacy and the labour market we have left behind?
- Maputla (she/they) is a young Pan-Africanist and social justice advocate dedicated to African upliftment, equality and youth empowerment.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.