18 YEARS SINCE INDEPENDENCE: WHERE IS OUR HOPE

With the apartheid era fading from collective memory a new question arises, when will the next generation, especially black youth up to the age of 27, be truly independent? I feel that this question should come in the context of the South African youth being compared to other African youths.


Africans from the rest of Africa, from my personal observation, demonstrate admirable confidence, and have an extensive knowledge of their history and culture. It could be that this is due to the fact that some of my African compatriots were liberated from the 1960s and have had ample opportunity to find a sense of self, this is shown by the large number of Africans who have gone abroad and established themselves beyond their borders.

South African black youth, still in their formative years, seem to lack the ability to rebel at being treated as second class citizens, which classification their African counterparts have long rejected. This rejection form the basis of free and independent Africans who are comfortable with themselves and are equal to anyone, who are willing to explore and learn, and possess no inferiority complex due to being African.

One has to acknowledge though that whilst our education system is still one of the major drawbacks to unleash this potential, the few who have come out the private and model C schools and thus have escaped the less than ideal public education system should begin to form the nucleus of this movement to independence

They are a generation which hopefully shall not require BEE to assist them to get into business, they shall not require initiatives such as affirmative action to get opportunities in the corporate world, they shall demand their place in the corporate world, and they shall unleash creativity and innovation that will help them release their business acumen with no need of government support

It is therefore important for this generation, from day one, to learn from their African counterparts as to what it means to be a free African in terms of values, demands, aggression and self self-reliance

Whilst the intention is not to put pressure on this generation, it is important for one to realise that as a black community in SA for the first time in almost 300 years, we have a group of people to showcase and pin our hopes on. It is now up to each and every one of them to wake up tomorrow, understanding the very ideal position they are in, to decide how they will take advantage of the vast amount of space afforded to them, to think, to express, to enjoy, to be free.