Youth Day Supplement

YOUTH DAY 2021

FOR THE YOUTH

BY THE YOUTH

COMPETITION WINNERS ON PAGES 7, 10-11

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SUPPLEMENT TO THE HERALD

Wednesday 16 June 2021

Youth will overcome challenges Jameelah Dolley

NELSON MANDELA UNIVERSITY

There is no doubt that the youth in South Africa face profuse challenges, pressing issues that our country’s authority fails to recognise or solve.The government simply creates awareness but never fulfils promises.

As youth, we face obstacles as individuals and within our communities that influence us phenomenally. One of the most pressing concerns we face is the challenge of employment in our country.

The number of youths who are at home and unemployed is alarming.

These are only the youngsters who decided that tertiary institutional education was not for them, not even to mention the graduates who are left without employment after obtaining degrees in some of the most prestigious universities in the country.

Apart from the choice of not studying, poverty-ridden

communities house youth who do not have the privilege of having the choice to study at tertiary institutions.

Those who do are left with immense amounts of student debt after graduation.

Many then resort to criminal activities to make ends meet and provide for their families, despite having tertiary qualifications.

Job creation for youth will remain one of the most press-

ing issues in South Africa.

In addition to the extrinsic challenges youth face, there are issues that we as individuals have to overcome, daily.

Living in a generation where HIV in youth contin-

ues to peak, gender-based violence is a daily occurrence and racial discrimination hasn’t diminished rapidly enough, we are expected to be in prime physical health.

We are forced to be our own advocates when it comes to prioritising our mental health, as some of our parents frown upon the idea of mental health issues due to cultural barriers of belief.

Physical harm becomes our only escape and some tend to grow quiet through these hardships, while others take provocation.

Although we live in a world that seems to constantly try to defeat us, there are beautiful moments that bring contentment. Our youth consists of some of the most talented individuals to ever exist in mankind’s history, paving paths for technological advances from intellectuals that have overcome many of the barriers by hard work and determination.

Young artistic individuals

help and create forms of escape through music and art.

Our youth are on the verge of creating change that history has yet to discover. So despite all the challenges that we as youth face, and most likely will continue to face for years to come, influences are surrounding us that allow us to express ourselves within our freedom and our rights.

It is now up to those in authority in our country to support our drive for success and create opportunities that do not shadow our potential.

As Benjamin Disraeli stated, “Almost everything that is great has been done by youth”. Let us be great.

Instapreneurs and Twelebs tackle unemployment

Philela Ndonga

NELSON MANDELA UNIVERSITY

SA is a large country with a growing population.

The population was estimated to have increased to 59.62-million in 2020.

Gauteng continues to record the largest share of the population with about 15.5-million people (26%) and the Northern Cape has the smallest number (1.29million) of the country’s population.

A country of millions of people living in it comes with a lot of challenges.

Major challenges include unemployment accompanied by poverty, poor educational outcomes, mental and physical health.

Yet some youths have

found an innovative way to tackle unemployment, especially those who graduated and could not find decent jobs due to a stagnant economy or lack of employment.

Young people aged 15-34 are the most vulnerable in the SA labour market as the unemployment rate for this age group is more than 60%.

Graduates from this age group have an unemployment rate of 33.1%.

The graduate unemployment rate is still lower than the rate among those with other educational levels, meaning education is still the key to young people’s prospects of improving their chances in the SA labour market.

One of the solutions to deal with youth

MIHLALI NDAMASE

unemployment suggested by the government is entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurs are pivotal to creating wealth and driving economic growth, innovation and employment.

Entrepreneurship can start at any age, anywhere and any time.

One of the most popular forms of making money and

improving learning skills nowadays, while also generating fame in the process, is social media.

This has given many of the people we see today on television, in magazines and on billboards a platform to make money and generate fame, all at once.

Mihlali Ndamase is someone who has “made it” by using social media.

She used her makeup skills and started a YouTube channel; now she is a wellknown social media influencer who works with major brands across the world. She has more than 8.1-million viewers on Instagram and on YouTube.

She is ranked the 17th highest paid makeup artist in the world on the

Thank you to our prize sponsors

Instagram Rich List, as she earns about R25,000 per post — at just 25 years old.

There are also other young, motivated people who saw the opportunity offered by social media and took advantage of it.

Sheldon Tatchell used social media to promote his Legends Barber shop, now a famous barber shop across the country and abroad, and famous for the big-name celebrities who cut their hair there.

There are others who are still growing in the industry, such as Thandisizwe LaSizwe Dambuza, who is also a YouTuber and entertainer.

Vuyokazi Sonjica, best known as Vicky Vee Jonas, also has thousands of Instagram followers and a

huge number of views on YouTube. Through that publicity she was signed by Cape Town designers NeshCouture to be their wig ambassador.

To start a YouTube channel is easy. First you start with the basics by completing your biography.

Second, know your market and your content type — basically what your blog or vlog will be about — and your target audience.

Know the basics of working a camera, lights and trailers.

After you upload your first video, you will need to stay consistent, integrate your channel into your website and social life, and actively engage with your followers.

Wednesday 16 June 2021

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SUPPLEMENT TO THE HERALD

What we can do to grow Nelson Mandela Bay Christine Meyer

NELSON MANDELA UNIVERSITY

Did you know the Eastern Cape is the second largest province in South Africa?

Well, this means there is a huge amount of potential on this land we call home, and each and every one of us — young and old — can do something to create an amazing province to live in.

Let’s talk to each other about what we think we can do, and this will spark a motivation to do what we will do.

What you can do

Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), being the biggest driver of growth in the province, has many large businesses which help bring in investment, such as Volkswagen, Ford and Isuzu.

These are vehicle production companies, and

thus we should encourage each other to learn about how these companies work and what type of skills are needed to work there, so that we have the opportunity to find jobs there that can help create income in our communities.

Learning how to plant and grow things like tomatoes, pineapples and tea can create a good base for you to sell those products on a larger scale, as those are three successfully refined goods sold by the Eastern Cape.

Soil can be maintained well if the person working with it knows and understands what they are doing. So be encouraged to learn about planting.

There are many websites and YouTube channels that can teach you how to do this in a couple of easy steps.

“Special Economic Zones” refer to two places in the province, namely Coega SEZ and East London SEZ, situated in Gqeberha and East London respectively.

These important zones

need many people to help them operate successfully, and they need interested individuals like ourselves to want to learn about them.

You can visit some of these sites with your friends or family to ask about who does what, and how you could perhaps one day become involved in the actual goals they have, and how these goals will help you and your future.

If you think that your city is beautiful, show it off.

This can improve the quality of your experience

wherever you go and can also promote your city to other people from different cities in South Africa so that they come and visit.

Just like we need to water seeds in the garden to make the flowers, we need money to make the province grow.

Teach your brothers and sisters to pick up any rubbish they see lying around the house, inside and out, and throw it away.

This can also be done at your school.

Tell your teachers to take five minutes of the day for everyone to go and collect litter surrounding the school or at a nearby park.

province with the greatest number of sunshine days, according to the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC).

Where the province is headed could be perfect for the economy and could drive South Africa as a whole forward.

We have many good What we see in future things to work with and We must change the story these must be used to that the province tells us, secure our future. and everyone else. We all These tips will help want this story to be one create the wealth you need that is colourful and and also the development exciting. the province needs.

Another thing that’s Using money wisely exciting is that all those sometimes doesn’t come wind farms you are seeing naturally and needs to be are making the province a worked on daily. big contributor to It is achievable and we renewable energy. This is a are moving towards greater really good thing!

The Eastern Cape is also a things every day.

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SUPPLEMENT TO THE HERALD

Wednesday 16 June 2021

Pedal power: Getting students mobile Andisiwe Sifembela

NELSON MANDELA UNIVERSITY

Growing up in KwaZuluNatal, Charles Mbhele used to see his grandmother’s business making her sweat and knew that it was his destiny to have his own business one day.

No matter how it strained his grandma, he simply knew he would also would be an entrepreneur.

Mbhele, 22, has a passion for entrepreneurship and dreamt of starting a business since he was young. He relocated to Gqeberha in 2017 because he saw business opportunities in the city.

“I don’t have a role model and I don’t look up to

anybody, but my grandma’s business, it’s just my thing,” he said.

“Maybe I could say I inherited the business gene from my grandma.”

In 2017, Mbhele and a business partner started a high-pressure cleaning business in New Brighton, but he later left the project to start his own business.

“I’m very committed to entrepreneurship — it is my first priority, then school.”

In July 2018, Mbhele established Quiqstart, a bicycle rental service for students.

It speaks to the need for an alternative, reliable means of transport It also contributes to reducing pollution and operates on a

paperless system via electronic payment and ereceipt.

Currently the service is only available for Nelson Mandela University students, but Mbhele is hoping to provide bicycles to all students across South Africa as the company, situated at North Campus, continues to grow.

The business operates 24 hours a day, seven days of the week. It has no physical booking office but an online platform — the Quiqstart App or website.

“We do not really have suppliers and we do not contract with them, but customers have a lot of power in a sense that flexibility is key.

“You can take the bike anytime you like and return it anytime you like. We don’t have contracts like a fixed agreement.” Mbhele said.

“You can cancel anytime — basically we got flexibility, which is power.”

Since starting the business, he has hired three staff members — Gugu Mngomezulu, Phonsto Chuene and Ongezwa Konkwana, who are also NMU students.

Despite all the company’s

progress, Mbhele also came across some challenges, like bikes being broken.

“Maintenance of the bikes takes a lot of time ... I have to fix these bikes almost every week and it’s costing a lot of money and time.”

And then, of course, the lockdown hit in 2020, which affected cashflow. Mbhele had to close the shop for at

least two months. However, the business survived because of a few sacrifices and pausing some expenses.

And even though they were closed, some customers had their bikes for transport and health reasons.

“Just like a coin, there are two sides to the story. On the flip side, while the business was closed, we kept

deliberating and coming up with new ideas to implement post lockdown that would get us back on the wagon.

“My vision is to have bicycles everywhere — schools, universities, evenshopping centres.

“We are aiming to provide mobility solutions for students.”

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Wednesday 16 June 2021

SUPPLEMENT TO THE HERALD

How to make money with a side hustle Makadunyiswe Tontsi

NELSON MANDELA UNIVERSITY

SA entrepreneur Vusi Thembekwayo describes passive income as an active investment of one’s income into a form of income that does not require labour.

Many young people have embarked on passive income sources or side hustles.

Sandenathi Mbane of Qonce (formerly King William’s Town) in the Eastern Cape is a graduate from Walter Sisulu University and is unemployed due to the high unemployment rate in the province and the impact of Covid-19 on the economy.

Mbane started network marketing products for Forever Living.

She now gets a commission based on the products she sells each month and uses social networks (Facebook and Instagram) to market her business online.

Mbane has a clientele of about 12 people who buy her

products regularly.

She says the difficult part is securing market share — she and other distributors battle for clients.

Mbane says starting the business was easy but maintaining it in terms of attracting customers is difficult. .

“Selling products online sounds like an easy job but it is not.

“Yes, it is not a nine-to-five job but attracting clients is the hard part.

“My commission since I started has increased.

“I was getting R1,500 when I started but now I earn R3,100.

“It helps in terms of me covering my needs, especially during the pandemic.

“A lot of people during this time were looking online for what to buy and that helped in getting more clients — that’s why my commission increased,” Mbane said.

Many people across the world are also making money as YouTubers, and this has be-

come a big market.

Owamie Hlongwane is a YouTuber, with an entertainment vlog where she comments and updates people on the latest trends in SA. Owamie was initially relying only on money she made on YouTube, but said she wanted something that

would generate more income.

She started selling T-shirts and also recruited other YouTubers and gave them advice on what they could do to improve their YouTube channels and attract more subscribes.

She did a vlog “Starting a YouTube channel while you

poor” with advice on how to go about producing highquality videos with just a cellphone.

The great thing about making money online is that you can have a day-to-day or nine-to-five job and still be able to make passive, or extra, income online.

YouTubers earn a commission from the adverts that Google plays before or in the middle of their videos.

To get this money, one must join AdSense to be able to get the commission.

A channel must reach at least 4,000 viewers and must have 1,000 subscribers.

Network marketing, where you sell a well-established product, is also a form of passive income.

With some brands you must become a member first, then you buy the products at a cheaper rate, and you earn a commission based on the sales you make.

Joining Uber can produce another form of extra income.

If you have a car you can sign up for Uber or join Bolt, formally known as Taxify.

You will have to register as a driver on their websites.

If you work during the week, you can be a driver during the weekend and earn a commission when people share a ride with your car.

What fuels political apathy among the youth?

Somila Tiwani

NELSON MANDELA UNIVERSITY

In any country, elections are set as an evaluation to exercise the notion of democracy. It is devastating to learn that SA’s youth participation in elections is low.

According to Voices360, “SA, once hailed as best jewels of democracy in Africa, is also pushing low in youth participation when it comes to democratic processes such as elections”.

Voices360 reports that only 6% of all MPs in SA are in the youth category (35 years and younger).

Eastern Cape youth activist Phumlani Msenge discusses the reasons behind this occurrence.

“Politics are what drives our dayto-day lives and it is unfortunate that young people are not participating in politics.

“They are not part and parcel of those who are shaping the future, yet they are the future.”

Msenge mentioned corruption, political patronage and misconduct of governance as a large contributing factor to youth apathy in politics.

The most critical reason for youth political apathy is unemployment.

According to Stats SA, SA’s youth unemployment rate was as high as 59% in the first quarter of 2020.

ONE OF FEW: Gwen Ngwenya of the DA is one of few politicians under the age of 35 in South Africa

Among graduates in this age group, the unemployment rate was 33.1% during the same period.

Though the youth is vulnerable in the labour market, those with further education at tertiary level are more likely to be employed.

Also, “young people are generally ignorant on many things that are happening in society”, Msenge said.

He believes young people think they exist in the space of social media and that is not where decisions are taken in terms of governance.

“Young people think it is enough

for them to voice their concerns on social media.

“Those platforms might be effective to a certain extent to put pressure on the government, but ultimately they are not legitimate platforms for the participation in government issues,” Msenge said.

He says the way people are culturally groomed as Africans also plays a significant role in youth political apathy.

We have grown up with the mentality of not arguing with our elders; that we should always respect our elders and never fight with them.

It has not been contextualised that to some extent, we must also be able to voice our own interests and views.

Nelson Mandela University’s recent Student Representative Council (SRC) virtual elections have proven that indeed, SA’s youth participation in elections is low.

The institution stated that about only 34% of the student population took to the polls on March 24 and 25 to elect a new SRC. Youth representation is lacking and this can be a substratum for economic growth.

“Youth inclusion in important strategic leadership roles is critical for SA’s sustainable economic development and survival,” Msenge said.

Wednesday 16 June 2021

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SUPPLEMENT TO THE HERALD

WINNER: TERTIARY ARTICLE

*We were so impressed with the quality of content provided in the tertiary category, we’ve decided to award a laptop to the winner, Iloné Marais

The power of social media, or social media is our power?

Iloné Marais

VARSITY COLLEGE

We are powerful; we take a useless object and turn it into a voice.

The phrase “social media is powerful” is one often said by our youth.

However, I don’t agree. I think social media is a tool and we made it our power.

If we all decided to delete Instagram today it would be useless, but if we all use it, it becomes this powerful object.

We have this object and we have turned it into a voice.

I posted an Instagram poll to dive into this topic.

About 98% of respondents voted that they feel what they say on social media matters and only 2% disagreed.

In another poll, 99% responded that they had

been influenced by social media in some way and only 1% said that they never had (but let’s be real, we’ve all wanted to make that TikTok video).

We all know that social media has some kind of power over us, but doesn’t

that just mean that we have some kind of power over one another?

We as the youth often want change, but little do we know that the way to implement change is right in our hands ... If 500 of us decide to post today that

we are registering to vote and we all bring along one other person, that’s 1,000 people voting that most likely wouldn’t have.

We can build or break with our power.

In 2020, after lockdown, a trend of “every body is a

beach body” started going around. Girls started posting their bikini pictures regardless of the shape their bodies were in.

They posted pictures of their stretch marks with “I love my stripes”.

When you open Instagram now, it is something you will still see.

It only took one person to decide to stop the shaming and post the picture, and all of a sudden social media went from a comparison trap to a place of inspiration.

You can make a change — what you post is affecting someone’s life and you have the opportunity to encourage or discourage.

You can stand up for what you believe in and educate people on matters important to you.

You have all this power at your fingertips.

What are you going to do with your power?

Will you build and stand up for what you believe in or will you sit back and troll on those who are using their power for good?

We can start a whole revolution on social media but first we need to remove the concept of the power of social media and claim it as our own.

Social media is our power, it’s our voice and so, to my fellow youth, what will you do with this power you hold?

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Wednesday 16 June 2021

SUPPLEMENT TO THE HERALD

Help at hand to deal with mental illness

Michael Mdluli

NELSON MANDELA UNIVERSITY

Cases of suicide reported among SA youth continue to rise due to depression and other mental illness.

Statistics from the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) released recently showsthat the suicide average in SA is 17.2 in every 100,000, and this only relates to cases that are reported.

It was revealed that some causes of suicide include alcohol, drug abuse and conduct disorder among the youth.

Recently we have seen a rise in cases of suicides reported at our universities in SA, due to some of the chal-

lenges students face.

A first-year BA general student from the Nelson Mandela University, Vusi (not his real name), has been attending counselling sessions at the university Student Counselling Centre.

“I wasn’t able to deal with my past, problems I experienced when I was young, but now I am able to deal with them ever since I came here.

“It [past issues] affected my academic performance because my first semester was poor and I even had suicidal thoughts.

“But yeah, I will never do that since I have managed to get help through the university’s counselling support.”

challenges of varsity life — leaving the village for a busy and highly equipped environment is quite a challenge.

Dr Kameshnee Ramasamy, who works at the Nelson Mandela University Student Counselling Centre, provided some more insight.

Many students who are from the rural areas usually come to the university carrying the hopes of their families, and sometimes the community as a whole, which is quite a heavy weight to carry and often leads to depression.

When they arrive at university, they sometimes fail to adjust to the pressures and

What is your take on the rise of suicide cases among SA youth?

It’s a complicated situation because most students don’t come forward or open up about their depression and other mental illnesses.

It’s just one of the challenges we get to face as psychiatric practitioners because students don’t open up.

How do you go about diagnosing students suffering from mental illness on campus?

We are a team of well-trained professional psychiatrists, so we know all the symptoms to look out for, like a sudden drop in one’s academic performance. So, we determine it from the consultations we conduct with students.

What are some of the most common causes of mental illness at the university?

It is linked to various reasons like financial challenges, stress of having to perform in their studies, the fast pace of university life, competence and so on.

Are there any support groups for students battling depression or other mentalrelated issues at the university?

We run a whole host of faceto-face groups where students get together and talk about whatever they are going through, because it is easier for them to open up when they talk to someone who is experiencing the very same problems.

Ramasamy said the centre also runs programmes addressing gender-based violence issues.

Sadag also runs a suicide prevention hotline where you can talk to a counsellor in confidence on 0800-567-567.

‘There were days my aunt refused to give me food’ Mariana Chiwaya

NELSON MANDELA UNIVERSITY

Thandolwethu* is a 25-year-old woman who survived abuse as a child at the hands of a woman who once showed her love.

“I was a victim of abuse from a very young age, but unlike most people, my story is different.

“Everything started when I was eight years old. My father suffered a stroke and he could no longer work and take care of the family.”

Thandolwethu was born into a family of five — a father, mother, herself and two siblings.

After her father’s stroke, her mother had to take up the responsibility of being the breadwinner.

“The following year my father’s condition got worse, and my mother had to leave for Gauteng to make more money so that she could afford to pay my father’s

hospital bills.

“My aunt moved in with us so that she could help me look after my father.”

Later that year, her father died, and that was when “everything went south”.

Her mother took her siblings to live with her in Gauteng, while she left Thandolwethu in the Eastern Cape with her aunt.

The first few months of living with her aunt were great, but then things changed.

“My aunt would call me names and told me my father was dead and that my mother chose my siblings over me.

“I never understood how fast my aunt changed or why. The abuse got worse as I grew older, she would physically abuse me in front of her family.

“My uncle would try to defend me whenever he was around, but

it was not often because he did not live with us,” she said.

There were days she went without food.

“She did not care about me. I believe that she wanted me dead.”

When Thandolwethu’s mother

came back after two years, her daughter was malnourished and had scars all over her body.

She did not understand why Thandolwethu looked like that, but when her mother confronted Thandolwethu’s aunt (her sister), she was full of excuses.

“I begged my mother to take me with her to Gauteng.

My mother said she would take me after I completed my ninth grade so that I would be able to start school in Gauteng.

“I agreed but deep down my heart broke knowing that the torment and the torture was going to continue,” said Thandolwethu.

A week before her mother fetched her, she accidentally broke her aunt’s favourite vase.

“I remember her shouting and cussing, the next thing I remember is feeling so much pain on the left

side of my head, then I woke up in hospital.”

After this incident, Thandolwethu went to live with her mother, who pressed child neglect and abuse charges against her sister.

Child abuse is one the biggest issues the country faces. Child abuse can happen wherever, and child abusers come from all walks of life.

They can be anyone, from parents, close family members, and family acquaintances.

There are ways that one can stop or help prevent child abuse.

You can recognise the signs of abuse, though it is not easy, but learning about abuse could help with recognising it.

Other things you can do is support your children, be an advocate, raise awareness and report child abuse-related crimes. * Not her real name

Wednesday 16 June 2021

SUPPLEMENT TO THE HERALD

Students get creative with design Just some of the portfolio work done by NMU BA (MMC) design students for advertising, packaging, posters, fashion and competitions

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WINNER: HIGH SCHOOL ARTICLE

Keep your faith in us, we are strong

The youth of today have been forced to endure your wrongs from yesterday.

You have left us a world where acceptance is a thing of the past, its place taken by the daunting grips of doubt herself.

Our social climate from the global tension has turned to violence and severe depression.

We are separated by race and religion, distracted from the fact that it is each other we need.

Instead of unifying and standing together, we let society divide us and redirect us from our goal.

Bullying, violence, and tragedy are nothing new to us.

We awaken each morning, making the subconscious decision to constantly keep our guards up high.

Some affirm themselves, while others pray for safety and protection.

The youth of today have been given a home where assertiveness is mandatory and the suppressed emotion, fear,

is kept ready at arm’s reach.

We spend our high school careers fighting to reach expectations, unknowingly letting life’s simple pleasures pass us by.

We are told that falling down is a part of life, it is those who get back up who are truly living.

But attempting to spread our wings in an environment that reeks toxicity is hopeless.

We spend our time searching for happiness in the same place we lost it, blinded by illusions and desperate beliefs.

Society has mixed us up with the technology around us.

With this, we have learnt that with happiness comes hurt, and with passion comes restraint.

We are living countless lives, our identities constantly changing.

We question ourselves and those around us.

Only the minority realises that society is a perception, blinding those with no vision.

We were taught that we

Sunday Meal

Dinner table. Empty chair.

Empty table, yet filled with anger, Fear and despair.

The little brother sees the parents.

The parents see the little brother, His Full plate And fear trickling down like sweat from his face.

Little brother: “He said he was going to his friend’s place.

Which place? I don’t know, I don’t get told much. I am just the little bro” Dinner table. Empty chairs.

Is there anyone sitting? No, not at all. All on their way to the morgue.

WINNER: HIGH SCHOOL ART Damian Elie (John Walton Snr Secondary)

would receive our fairy tale endings.

We now know that that is untrue, for we were exposed to the darkness of humanity far too early, and damaged far too soon.

Our hearts long still for the fateful day that all conflicts halt.

With fears of failure, yet no urge to be productive.

Our heads are spinning, and our values are tested daily.

We hold back our tears because no-one understands.

Torn apart by lazy assumptions, we find ourselves proving our worth to reach success.

I believe that life is too short to spend it at war with yourself or others.

Even now, as broken as we may feel, we are strong.

We hold ourselves up high and strive for a better tomorrow.

Your faith in us is not misplaced, we will see our mission through to the end.

— Alex Harmse, Collegiate Girls High School

RUNNER-UP: HIGH SCHOOL ART

WINNER: HIGH SCHOOL POEM Sunday meal.

Dinner table. Empty chair.

He’s somewhere. Not here.

Where?

It’s getting dark outside.

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

It’s already dark outside.

Father: “It will be better for this boy if he sleeps outside” Dinner table. Empty chair.

The father sees the mother The mother sees the father, His tight grip on the fork And the rage veins all around his neck.

Mother: “It will be better for my boy if he doesn’t come back”

Sinalo Mfecane (Collegiate Girls High)

They got a call. “He got shot, robbing a shop in the mall.”

“He got shot?”

“He got shot, robbing a shop in the mall?”

He’s confused. Should he laugh when it’s not funny?

Should he despair when it’s not sad?

Just because he’s the crook’s dad, He must cry when the crook’s dead?

He’s confused.

They’re confused.

Are you confused?

Uzenzile akakhalelwa.

— Mava Feni, Ethembeni Enrichment Centre

H.I.S

Poetry in motion

Who am I? Who are you?

Who are you?

Acceptance? Acceptance?

A thing we all endure, feeling left out because of who we are Acting like you don’t care when you actually do...

What do your family and friends really think about you?

Wednesday 16 June 2021

SUPPLEMENT TO THE HERALD

Should you act different from who you are, or be told who to be?

Who am I? Who are you?

Lisakhanya Payi, Grade 8, Theodor Herzl High School

Youth of Africa Youth of Africa Youth of Africa What are we tired of?

We’re tired of crying out for help.

We’re tired of yelling because no-one listens.

We’re tired of pretending to be someone else Just so that we can act the way we are expected to.

Youth of Africa Youth of Africa What are we tired of?

We’re tired of wishing for a life we will never have We’re tired of wishing for something we will never know But most of all we are tired...

Shevone Chipangura, Paterson High School

Look at him as he gleams He laughs and lights up the room The joker of the 20s Clown, they call him.

His life must be great He must be joyous No one, not none Has such great aura But death is upon him Enslaved is his mind Captured is his heart Oh, how he smiles Insensitive they call thee Not knowing the burden, he carries through the days And cornered in the night The pen, the paper Tell his life’s tales The ink is his pain The scripts are his psalm

How, he wonders, will he Ever see freedom, will The mask ever fall, what Words will he utter?

Ntiska Maznanda, Grade 11, Westering High School

Wednesday 16 June 2021

SUPPLEMENT TO THE HERALD

WINNER: PRIMARY SCHOOL ARTICLE

Youth Day On June 16, we celebrate Youth Day. We sometimes look forward to it because it’s a public holiday, but do you really know the story behind it?

As a 5-, 6- and 7-year-old, if someone asked me what Youth Day was, I’d say: “It celebrates young people”, but as an 8-, 9- and 10-year-old, I would describe it as “A day we celebrate how important our youth is, and remember what young people mean to us”.

Last year, I turned 11 years old. We were in the middle of lockdown, and I was starting to wonder about things that I had almost never thought of.

One of the things was, “What is the purpose of Youth Day?” I had always thought the same thing about it. So I decided to do some research about it.

It all started in January 1954. When the apartheid government created the Bantu Education System, it decided that “non-white” pupils were to be taught in poor facilities, overcrowded class-

rooms, and with inadequately trained staff, which led to poorly educated children.

In January 1976, the apartheid government forced “non-white” children to have the most important subjects such as math and social studies taught in Afrikaans only, which parents, teachers and students disagreed with because that took great opportunities away from “nonwhite” communities.

On June 16, an estimated 20,000 students went out into the streets of Soweto to peacefully protest against being taught in Afrikaans.

They sang today’s national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.

But in those days, that song was banned in SA. They marched from their schools all the way to Orlando Stadium in Soweto, but little did they know that it would become one of the most tragic yet life-changing times in all of SA’s history.

During the protest, Antoinette Sithole, 16, did not expect to see her younger

brother, Hector Pieterson, 12, there. She said to him: “Just stay here next to me. I’ll make sure we find a way home.”

The next minute there were police gunshots and her brother disappeared.

Suddenly, she saw Mbuyisa Makhubu, an 18--year--old student, carrying him to the car. Before lowering him into the car, Makhubu looked at Sithole and said Pieterson was dead. More than 150 students died during this, which is even more than everyone in my grade.

All the years I’ve lived, I called Youth Day a celebration of the youth in our country.

Now that I’m 12 I can say: “I’m 12 years old and Youth Day is a reminder of the students who lost their lives fighting for the freedom and rights that we have today, because we don’t celebrate people dying, we remember people putting their lives at risk for us, without them even knowing it.”

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WINNER: PRIMARY SCHOOL ART Elizabeth Roth (Sunridge Primary School)

RUNNER-UP: PRIMARY SCHOOL ART Sarah Van Der Merwe (Theodor Hertzl Primary)

— Ella G Scheepers, Clarendon Park Primary School

WINNER: PRIMARY SCHOOL POETRY Kyle Pienaar (Sunridge Primary School)

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It is all possible with Nelson Mandela University. Apply today and discover your wildest dreams with a university that is built for the individual. For more information visit our website and apply early for the chance to change the world.

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