If Hector Petersen and all the young people who lost their lives during the 1970s upheavals were to rise from the dead, one wonders what they would say about the youth of today.
As the 26th anniversary of June 16 approaches, a different attitude is apparent among the youth. The youths of today are aspirant business people.
And contrary to widespread perception, they are actively involved in community projects. Even though issues like crime and unemployment are affecting our youth, they are not giving up hope.
After the 1994 elections we have seen a number of young people from all walks of life taking a lead.
The likes of Mandoza, Penny Heyns, Siyabonga Nomvete, Benny McCarthy, Khanyi Dhlomo-Mkhize, Mark Shuttleworth, Anita Soni and Malusi Gigaba have made their mark — and the list is endless.
The ”lost generation” assertion created or used during the times of apartheid to describe young black anti-apartheid activists in townships was misplaced. The so-called ”lost generation” created a number of opportunities for the youth of today.
Their cause was not a lost one; therefore they were not lost either. Today’s youth has the opportunities that the likes of Petersen created when they made a conscious choice to stand up for what they believed in.
It would be unfair to expect today’s youth to also throw stones. Young people should not be apologetic because of people who claim that they are not actively involved in political activities.
The youth is involved in a number of struggles — a new struggle. At work they are leading the struggle against unfair labour practices. They are changing industries like media, advertising, accounting, engineering and other many industries.
In the rural areas young people are leading their communities’ reconstruction and development projects.
We cannot run away from the fact that we make mistakes and learn from them. But the youth want to succeed.
It does not matter whether they join any political party or society.
It is understandable that uncertainty over jobs has driven some of today’s youth into personal pursuits and makes them apathetic to broader social commitments.
Young people in the rural areas do not have access to information. Some young people — especially in rural and urban working-class communities — cannot afford to take time off for activities outside academic programmes because they have to take care of younger family members after school.
Most students say they cannot afford to spend their time doing things which would not benefit them financially. Hence sometimes there is lack of a voluntary culture among the youth.
But recent developments show young people are not only becoming more responsible when it comes to issues like HIV/Aids but are also listening to calls to take charge of their own destiny.
We still need guidance and wisdom from the old generation, more especially the sense of ubuntu. But there is no such thing as a ”lost generation”.
Vukile Mathabela is a sales executive at the Mail & Guardian