Youth Dances & Celebrates Achievements But Stresses the Need for Good Quality Education

Sthembiso Sithole

Traditional Zulu dancing showing the youth
hasn't forgotten traditions.

Young and talented School children gathered at the Constitutional Hill, Johannesburg Thursday to celebrate Youth Day with song, dance and debate on their future and the state of young people in South Africa today. The event was organised by Constitutional Hill in partnership with Tsibogang Lebone Development Initiative.

Matshidiso Mkhatswa from Likazi Central high school was the first to go on stage and shock the crowd with her speech called: “What Ubuntu in peace making and Reconciliation mean to me”.

During her piece she quoted Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu when he said “ubuntu is the spirit of togetherness, we must move beyond the spirit of Apartheid. A country without Ubuntu is no country at all.”


Lungile Dlamini thinks the youth disregards its responsibilities and focuses more on rights.

“Our responsibilities coordinate with our rights. We believe we have a right to something and we don’t consider our responsibilities,” Dlamini said

As the crowd went crazy about the music and performance on stage, adjudicators were taking notes of possible winners.

Lily Mokhwesana one of the organisers says she is happy with the 300 people strong attendance rate and hopes to see growth in the coming years. “We are actually saying with this initiative, children must come and learn. We are excited that parents and teachers came out in full force to give support to this day” Mokhwesana explains

Voortrekker Hoogte High School teacher, Anton Lombard, believes such events are a great platform for pupils to express their ideals. “This event is fantastic, I think it is helping the learners from different parts of the country to meet each other,” Lombard said

He also shared his concern on the recent xenophobic violence in Limpopo;

“[Xenophobia] is unnecessary, we need to accept each other and it is creating a bad image for South Africa,” Lombard elaborated.

The Braam Fisher Youth Gospel Choir’s opened the gathering with a song “A leng botseng tshepo yaka” led by Bongani Nkunzi. Dingaan Skosani organiser says the event have positive outcomes “We try to convert their (pupils) talent into a skill, in order for them to reach their full potential”.

Boys Choir starts proceedings.

On our way to the Constitutional Hill, we met a group of school children who were marching from King David Victory Park, passing the Nelson Mandela Bridge commemorating Equal Basic Education as the standard of education in rural and township schools has come under serious scrutiny in South Africa.

“I think that the youth of South Africa must really, really work together. All races and culture we must come together and fight for what we want and deserve in our new country,” explains one of the marchers Josh Broomberg.