Chokeholds: young people are fighting back

LAST MONTH, we commemorated Human Rights Day by honouring the loss of life which occurred during the Sharpeville Massacre. This momentous day forces us to reckon with the sacrifices made by the many fallen soldiers who laid their lives down for the liberation of the oppressed.

- SANDILE MLANGENI

Years later, the generation of today is drawing strength from the courageous acts made by these stalwarts and breaking free from present-day chokeholds that continue to constrict the economic emancipation and true freedom of young people.

The liberators from the apartheid era might have laid their lives on the ground for liberation for all, while their efforts and bravery were not in vain, young black people under the democratic dispensation continue to suffer new forms of oppression.

South Africa has a huge unemployment crisis, with over 45.6% of young people between the ages of 18-35 without formal employment.

In my community, the scourge of unemployment is widely visible. Young college graduates wander in the streets with hopes of securing jobs and making a living for themselves, still they are faced with an exclusionary system that continues to lock them out of economic opportunities. Even when some continue to study further, many end up becoming victims of a life of addiction simply to remedy their inescapable conditions. Mass unemployment and the widening inequality gap have led to mental health decline and a loss of hope and dignity for many.

Unemployment:

Pass laws are gone, but new systems suffocate us today. Youth unemployment sits at 40%, a stat that's not just numbers but locked doors for millions. In my township, Tsakane, in Ekurhuleni, young people with matric certificates, with college diplomas and university degrees are collecting dust instead of pay cheques.