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Children at a camp in Germiston for those who fled xenophobic violece.

Showing solidarity with refugees in South Africa

As South Africa commemorates World Refugee Day, this article examines the nation's commitment to protecting asylum seekers and refugees. It addresses the challenges of…

Singularity Summit South Africa 2026 deepens the conversation on quantum computing, AI and human potential

As quantum computing edges closer to practical reality and artificial intelligence continues to accelerate, Singularity South Africa has announced another wave of influential…

Mother of five, Josephine Saranam (left), lives in constant worry for the safety of her 15-year-old daughter, Lorna (right). Lorna is one of 300 students from Goulubu village in Rigo District, Central Province, Papua New Guinea, who swim across the Kemp Welch River each day to attend school. The journey raises serious safety concerns, particularly for adolescent girls who must seek privacy in nearby bushes to change after crossing. During floods, many students are unable to cross, leading to frequent absenteeism.

From floods to heatwaves: nearly half of children face stacked climate shocks

A new Unicef analysis reveals that nearly half of the world's children, approximately 1.1 billion, are living with multiple, overlapping climate threats. These hazards, including…

While aggregate joblessness was historically high before 1994, the rate of young people locked out of the economy has surged to unprecedented levels, defining this generation's struggle

Youth Day at 50: The new struggle is the fight for a future

Youth Day honours the young people who rose up in Soweto in 1976 — students who paid with their lives to resist an education system deliberately engineered to diminish them.…

Page 82 Media’s CSI arm, Ibala, has donated 100 schoolbags made from recycled PVC banners to KwaNtsikana Junior Secondary School learners during a Youth Month event in Soweto the City of Johannesburg hosted.

Ibala turns PVC waste into school bags in Soweto Youth Month handover

As South Africa prepares to mark 50 years since the 1976 Soweto Uprising, Page 82 Media's CSI arm, Ibala, donated 100 schoolbags made from recycled PVC advertising banners to…

Graphic by John McCann

South Africa is failing the generation it claims to celebrate

While South Africa commemorates the youth of 1976 every June, millions of young people today face a stark reality of unemployment and economic exclusion. This article explores…

Education for liberation, dignity and empowerment: A call to action

This article reflects on three significant anniversaries: 70 years since the women's march against pass laws, 50 years since the 1976 Soweto uprising, and 30 years of South…

The book foregrounds “the experiences, the ideas and the reflections of people who were actual participants in 1976, both leading figures but also young people who, on the morning of June 16th, did not see themselves as political activists,” says the author. Photo: Historical Papers Research Archive, University of the Witwatersrand South Africa.

The uprising they turned into a party: What Youth Day keeps getting wrong

Every June 16th, South Africa celebrates Youth Day with music and speeches, often reposting the iconic image of Hector Pieterson. But historian Noor Nieftagodien argues these…

Honour: The children and young people of 1976 saw through the ruse too and drew a line in the sand. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

It is our turn to courageously repay the debt we owe to June 16 champions

Professor Thuli Madonsela reflects on the profound debt owed to the children and young people who confronted the apartheid state on June 16, 1976. She explores whether their…

A new struggle: The 1976 pupils wanted to dismantle Bantu education. The 2016 #FeesMustFall students, wanting a seat at Wits and UCT, were fighting for access to a system 1976 rejected. File Photo

The Arc betrayed

The 1976 generation fought against Bantu Education for liberation, but their grandchildren, born after 1994, navigate a different landscape. This article explores whether the…

Future up in smoke: Our sons are bitter, says the writer. They are emasculated and turn that rage against the girl child.  Photo: IOL

We ‘re mothers with debt and degrees; women with data, no title deeds

A veteran journalist from the Class of '76 reflects on the disillusionment and frustration felt after 1994, particularly concerning education, social services, and the…

New generation: The Fees Must Fall movement elevated demands for accessible, free higher education to the centre of national discourse.

Frantz Fanon: Every generation must discover its mission or betray it

From the political stagnation of 1944 to the economic exclusion of today, every generation of young South Africans has faced unique challenges. This article explores their…

Maladministration: It is a sad indictment of the brave efforts of the 1976 cohort of students that in 2026, those who come after them have to cross rivers to get to school.

The unfinished business of freedom

Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka reflects on the 50th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, connecting the struggles of 1976 to contemporary challenges in South Africa, including…

History: The youth of 1976 demanded the right to learn. . . the youth of 2026 require the tools to thrive. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

The youth of 1976 sought the right to learn

As South Africa marks fifty years since the Soweto Uprising of 1976, this article reflects on the historical significance of June 16 and challenges the nation to move beyond…

From exile to engineering: Why Ekurhuleni needs a University of Applied Science 

Mohlabani Kgosana, son of anti-apartheid exile Philip Kgosana, reflects on his family's journey and India's remarkable industrial transformation. He argues that South Africa must…

Nostalgia: The fair itself carried that familiar warmth, such as readers walking slowly between stalls. Photos: Supplied

In a world built for scrolling, can book fairs still survive?

A quiet conversation at the Kingsmead Book Fair became a reflection on shrinking attention spans, digital culture and the fragile future of reading

The University of Fort Hare has formally charged its vice-chancellor, Professor Sakhela Buhlungu.

Fort Hare serves misconduct charges on vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu

Buhlungu is further accused of damaging the University’s reputation through public comments made during a media interview, which Council claims undermined its integrity

On AI itself, Pope Leo calls for technological projects that protect what he describes as the grandeur of humanity. He warns against reducing people to measurable outputs, predictive profiles or behavioural categories.

Pope Leo’s AI encyclical and the urgent need for human leadership

He warns against reducing people to measurable outputs, predictive profiles or behavioural categories. Once technology becomes the standard by which human beings are judged, it…

Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela says South Africa must urgently adapt its education and training system to artificial intelligence, automation and digital transformation as the country confronts a “workforce-transition capacity problem” Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Manamela’s digital bet: Can SA’s higher education system survive the revolution under way?

Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela says South Africa must urgently adapt its education and training system to artificial intelligence, automation and digital transformation…

Restoring integrity and protecting universities from political and commercial predation are priorities for Universities South Africa (USAf), the membership body representing all 26 public universities in South Africa.

Universities South Africa sounds alarm on rising campus governance risks

Several universities are facing deepening governance crises marked by institutional capture, leadership instability and weakened accountability systems, say higher education…