Strong youth leadership has historically been central to South Africa’s socio-political activism during the height of apartheid and in the democratic era. The Class of 1976 embodies that youthful determination to be seen, heard and acknowledged.
In the 50 years since pupils from Soweto and other townships, villages and towns throughout the Republic stood up to systemic oppression and an inferior education system, there has been a proverbial passing of the baton, from the school boycotts of the 1980s to the evolution of cultural expressions through Kwaito music in the 1990s and the boom in the development of young black professionals through higher education in the early 2000s.
In the post-democratic order, the Fallist movements that swept universities from 2015, seeking decolonisation and reform as well as financial inclusion in institutions of higher learning, were also led by youth activists.
However, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the 1976 uprising, there is a quiet wave of discontent, disappointment and unfulfilled promises.
Today, young people are battling socio-economic challenges, key among them unemployment and democratic pessimism. Statistics South Africa puts the national youth unemployment rate (ages 15–34) at 45.8%, while the rate for the youngest demographic (ages 15–24) surged as high as 60.9%.
The disproportionate lack of jobs among the youth constitutes an economic and political crisis, with over 4.7-million young South Africans remaining jobless in the first quarter of 2026. More than four in 10 youths aged 15–34 are classified as “Not in Employment, Education or Training”.
Young people are also growing despondent over the state of politics. The IEC’s recent voter participation survey reveals a 68% increase in overall dissatisfaction with democracy.
This is revealing considering the upcoming local government elections.
However, amid the grim picture, there are green shoots of promise in the form of new leaders in various spheres of society. It is in this context and against the backdrop of the 50th anniversary of June 16, 1976, that Sunday World sought to identify young people who are leading and influencing in their respective fields. This publication asked them various questions about what more young people can do to improve their plight.
Economic inclusion in our lifetime
Aphiwe Tafeni is a young entrepreneur and founder of Olem Business Boutique, a 100% black- and female-owned, digital marketing and communications agency. She also wears the hat of national deputy chairperson of the Black Management Forum Young Professionals, championing inclusive growth, economic agency and skills development for the youth.
As an entrepreneur, she understands the struggles of late payments, access to opportunities, mentorship and support.
Tafeni said small, medium and micro enterprises needed to be handled differently. SMMEs faced challenges in establishing their businesses and after securing a contract, waited a minimum of 90 days before their invoices were paid.
“If this continues, then many businesses will continue to struggle because the person behind the SMME needs a means of survival and to pay for services; this means they would then go back and borrow money and possibly pay it back with interest.”
Economic opportunities in the digital economy
Sipho Alphi Mkhwanazi became famous from his humourous TikTok skits.
Now, the content creator, media personality and events MC has established a successful career in the public sphere. He said social media has become an important platform for social conversations.
“I have tried to use my platforms to comment on current affairs and further share as much information as I can with others. I also use them to amplify the opinions and views of others,” the UCT graduate said. “I believe the roots of our issues stem from a constitutional level.
“There are aspects of our constitution and regulations that no longer serve us as acountry. Once those are addressed, we’d need to look at our government principals and interrogate how fit they are to serve our people.”
Storytelling in the time of misinformation and AI
Qaanitah Hunter is a news hack who has risen to become an important voice of a generation in the journalism fraternity. Hunter identifies as a political journalist, commentator, author and founding editor of the Debrief Network.
She and her business partners created the youth-focused news creator platform in the absence of media platforms wholly dedicated to the plight of young people.
“We do real journalism in a content creation style; we teach young journalism graduates a new form of storytelling, and we empower unemployed matriculants with basic digital skills,” she said.
“It is difficult to grow a business in South Africa; therefore, to employ people is extremely hard. Another thing is access to opportunities because there are many young South Africans I encounter who are talented but unable to access opportunities because they do not have access to resources like Wi-Fi, laptops and good-quality phones, and that hinders them from growing their craft”.
Hunter believes the solution to the problems plaguing the country is a collective responsibility that includes young people. “No one is coming to save us. We must find our own solutions.”
New faces of the revolution
Fasiha Hassan is an ANC MP and the youngest person to have served on the Judicial Service Commission, where judges are interviewed and appointed through the president.
She also sits on the energy, mineral and petroleum resources portfolio committee.
Her rise to the national legislature is well documented as one of the leaders of the Fees Must Fall Movement.
“I am fighting for the inclusion of women and youth representation in the nuclear industry; we need to have young women in that space…
“Having young leaders doesn’t mean we have sufficient representation. We need more young people at the decision table. However, I think we have more young people now compared to 1994.”
Hassan acknowledged the challenges of unemployment and limited economic opportunities. “We do not see enough people in corporates, politics and civil society. Mental health is also a big one because now young people not only suffer from mental health but go further to commit suicide because they are not understood.”
She said the state alone could not solve the country’s problems. “To be clear, there’s this notion that someone’s going to come and fix the problem.
“There is no messiah. There is no one coming to save us as young people.
“We have to pick up whatever we need to pick up because the longer we wait for someone to save us, the longer it is that any solution is going to come.”
Educating a nation
Zakithi Mkhize is a medical scientist, writer and science content creator.
She uses her digital footprint to share her journey as a black woman in science and to educate on various health topics in a simple way and empower the youth with knowledge they need to succeed when pursuing STEM subjects.
Mkhize said her primary worry was the youth possessed education and qualifications, yet job opportunities remained scarce. “Beyond our government, we are. The more we evolve and become equipped with the skills to become employers rather than employees, the more we can begin to solve one of the biggest problems.”
Mkhize is passionate about education, skills and knowledge development.
“By becoming who we hoped to have. Uplifting and supporting each other and being role models for one another. We should strive to be a positive influence in a younhg person’s life, enabling them to become a positive influence on others. We need to plug each other and share what we have with each other.”
- South Africa’s youth leadership, exemplified by the Class of 1976, has historically driven socio-political activism but today faces high unemployment (45.8% for ages 15–34) and growing disillusionment with democracy.
- Young entrepreneurs like Aphiwe Tafeni highlight challenges for small businesses, such as long invoice payments, which hinder economic inclusion and sustainability.
- Social media personalities like Sipho Alphi Mkhwanazi leverage digital platforms for social commentary and emphasize the need for constitutional and governmental reforms.
- Journalists like Qaanitah Hunter stress innovative storytelling to empower youth amid misinformation and advocate for collective responsibility to solve societal issues.
- Emerging leaders such as MP Fasiha Hassan and scientist Zakithi Mkhize call for increased youth representation in governance and emphasize education, skills development, and self-empowerment as keys to overcoming unemployment and social challenges.
