Young people in South Africa have always been at the forefront of the liberation struggle. They took part in political campaigns against the apartheid regime and an oppressive medium of instruction.
This led to the formation of many youth organisations which have been effective in fighting for their rights.
Decades later, student activists fought for free tertiary education. But the voice of youth formations in post-democratic South Africa seems to have fallen silent.
Apartheid was an oppressive system that forced the youth to take matters into their own hands. The 1970s were a pivotal time that saw an uprising against Bantu Education.
This turbulent period gave birth to several youth formations; not only resisting the draconian system, but also politically conscientising young people. But over the years, youth formations have become ineffectual.
A case in point would be the ANC Youth League. Once known as the Young Lions, the organisation is now a shadow of its former self and under administration until it holds a national elective conference.
In the video below, the ANC Youth League elective conference hangs in the balance:
So how relevant are youth formations in the current political climate?
Managing Director of Ethics and Monitoring Services, Cynthia Schoeman, says youth activism has a long history in South Africa.
“Youth activism has got a long history in our country. After all June, this month as youth month, stems from the 1976 uprisings and protests standing up against apartheid and standing for equal education. More recently, we’ve seen a very effective student activism campaign in the Fees Must Fall movement that was initiated and driven by students.”
However, other issues affecting the youth such as lack of basic income, high school drop-out rates, soaring unemployment, teenage pregnancy and drug and alcohol abuse, continue to be a concern.
Political Analyst Ralph Mathekga says mainstream politics does not necessarily pay attention to matters that focus on the youth.
“Our mainstream politics does not necessarily have a special attention on matters that focus on the youth. This is a matter of concern. If the majority of the population is the youth and the policy framework does not work to the advantage of the majority of the population, then there is something fundamentally wrong. If you look across the various political parties, you don’t see a distinct kind of presence of the youth expect in some political parties like the EFF.”
Another Political Analyst Levy Ndou says there is an element of disintegration between ordinary young people and those at positions of leadership.
“There are a number of youth formations in South Africa and mainly exist at leadership level. They are actually not mass-based. That is why there is this element of disintegration between the ordinary young people and those who are in leadership positions. That is why it is quite difficult to actually get the message across.”
As the country commemorates youth month, young people are implored to emulate the generation before them by organising themselves to fight against the social ills that plague them.
In the video below, the SABC explores the relevance of youth formations:
