War now is on joblessness, disease

NEW UPRISING

THIS weekend the people of our country

– together with the rest of the world – are celebrating one of the most glorious chapters in the history of the South African liberation struggles.

We are commemorating the 36th anniversary of the June 16 1976 student uprising. It was on this historic day that our heroic youth triumphed over apartheid when they led the most successful protest march against the imposition of Bantu education and Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools. We salute the heroism of the leadership of this generation for the pivotal role they played in the struggle against apartheid colonialism and imperialism – and more importantly their fearless determination to join our national liberation struggles.

Their indomitable contribution to the cause for the total emancipation and dignity of our people will forever be cherished.

We celebrate the historic calendar day, 18 years after the demise of apartheid and the election of our first democratic government under the stewardship of the African National Congress. The 1994 democratic breakthrough ushered in the new era of a democratic dispensation.

The pertinent question we need to ask ourselves is whether we are able to seize the prospects presented by the 1994 democratic breakthrough to nurture our young generation to take forward the glorious legacy of the June 16 generation.

The youth of today should take a leaf out of our heroic June 16 generation’s contribution as a formidable force to emulate. They understood that determination to dismantle the brutal apartheid regime was a necessary precondition to lay a solid foundation for the better life of the future generations.

Our young generation today finds itself having to traverse a complex terrain of struggles under much improved conditions produced by the past struggles of our people.

The new struggle is confronting the centuries-old legacy of apartheid colonialism and imperialism, the problems of disease, poverty and underdevelopment.

The spate of violent service delivery protests led mostly by our young generation across our country’s rural and urban settlements highlights the deeper issues affecting our society today. The emphasis is that we cannot resolve the present problems in the “1976” way.

Our young generation should not be manipulated by counter-revolutionary forces. They should prepare themselves to seize the opportunities of the infrastructural development initiatives presented by President Jacob Zuma as part of the massive plans by our government to grow our economy.

Piitso is a former ambassador of South Africa to Cuba and a member of the ANC He writes in his personal capacity