Chiawelo Residents Not Backing Down

Sthembiso Sithole

Chiawelo residents are still refusing to back down from their demands of cheaper electricity tariffs despite five community members including two minors over the burning down of the former councillor’s house earlier this week.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa lambasted the community when he visited with Police Commissioner Bheki Cele. As they arrived in their lavish cars, journalists and residents were waiting on Nefefe Street outside the house of ward 12 councillor Johannes Nemaungani.

Apart from the burning down of the house - the cars of Miriam Ramafola and Nemaungani were also stoned. Ramafola told Joun’Tau about the nightmare she witnessed while her grandchildren were in the house.

“I received a call from my cousin who told me that there are people on the way to my house and they say they are going to burn everything. It is then that I quickly rushed outside to lock the small gate and unfortunately I forgot to lock the garage.”

She says while she was hiding in the house, protesters were already outside braking windows and later managed to open the unlocked garage and torched her car.

“In 2007 Eskom proposed to change old electrical boxes to new green boxes that will force community members to buy electricity through prepaid cards. They all agreed on this installation of green metred boxes in the meeting,” Ramafola elaborated.

According to the former councillor this is the second attack that has occurred in her house. ESKOM spokesperson Hillary Joffe explained that no metred boxes will be removed.

“Our technicians were working since Tuesday to solve the crisis and most of them were threatened. In the past two weeks we experienced the same problem and we are not planning to move any metred box,” said Joffe.

23-year-old resident, Gift Matu, says the councillor lied to them about the green boxes failed to tell them proper procedure on how they would be explained.

“We are told to pay R50 every day in order for us to get electricity. Miriam told us that we had no choice but to pay for these,” he said.

Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Mpho Tau, urged the community not to repeat the incident.

Addressing the crowd Police Minister, Nathi Mthetwa described the incident as terrifying. “We want everybody to work with the law force agency. Everyone must condemn this horrible situation,” Mthethwa said.

While the minister was speaking, an elderly lady shouted at the minister saying he drives nice cars without understanding their plight.

Kids & Parents Entertained at Baba Indaba

Sthembiso Sithole

SABC Baba Indaba held a three day exhibition aimed at exposing young families to early childhood development project and to raise breastfeeding as awareness. Despite the weather being cold, expecting parents, parents, nannies and grandparents came out in large numbers to witness the exhibition at the Expo Centre Nasrec near Soweto.

Organiser and show director Natalie Naude says this year breastfeeding was a hug part of the exhibition. “We decided to have breastfeeding as part of the show because we wanted to spell the myth about breastfeeding,” explains Naude.

“Breastfeeding is healthier for both mom and baby, it also helps to create a bond and helps the child to have strong bones.”

Danielle and Quinton Wilson who are parents of two children from Pretoria say the Baba Indaba has helped them come up with ways of saving money. “It is our second time attending this exhibition and we get a special of the things that we would find in shops in a higher price,” says Danielle.

Children had a chance to meet some Takalani Sesame muppets live on stage as they were entertaining through dance and educational quizzes. Later youngsters got an opportunity to take photos with their favorite cuddly friends from TV.

Most exhibition stands were packed with parents asking questions about the promoted products and promoters had to do their best to best sell and convince customers. Some of those on promotion were Baby Dam, Cuddlers, Cry Baby, Jacob’s Coffee and Baby Throne.

Baba Indaba organisers say they want to take their initiative further and want to host Africa’s very first Guinness World Record attempt for the most mothers breastfeeding their babies at same time. Good luck to them.

Photos of Youth Day Celebrations in Constitution Hill, Johannesburg

Youth Dances & Celebrates Achievements But Stresses the Need for Good Quality Education

 Sthembiso Sithole

Traditional Zulu dancing showing the youth
hasn't forgotten traditions.



Young and talented School children gathered at the Constitutional Hill, Johannesburg Thursday to celebrate Youth Day with song, dance and debate on their future and the state of young people in South Africa today. The event was organised by Constitutional Hill in partnership with Tsibogang Lebone Development Initiative.

Matshidiso Mkhatswa from Likazi Central high school was the first to go on stage and shock the crowd with her speech called: “What Ubuntu in peace making and Reconciliation mean to me”.

During her piece she quoted Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu when he said “ubuntu is the spirit of togetherness, we must move beyond the spirit of Apartheid. A country without Ubuntu is no country at all.”


Lungile Dlamini thinks the youth disregards its responsibilities and focuses more on rights.

“Our responsibilities coordinate with our rights. We believe we have a right to something and we don’t consider our responsibilities,” Dlamini said

As the crowd went crazy about the music and performance on stage, adjudicators were taking notes of possible winners.

Lily Mokhwesana one of the organisers says she is happy with the 300 people strong attendance rate and hopes to see growth in the coming years. “We are actually saying with this initiative, children must come and learn. We are excited that parents and teachers came out in full force to give support to this day” Mokhwesana explains

Voortrekker Hoogte High School teacher, Anton Lombard, believes such events are a great platform for pupils to express their ideals. “This event is fantastic, I think it is helping the learners from different parts of the country to meet each other,” Lombard said

He also shared his concern on the recent xenophobic violence in Limpopo;

“[Xenophobia] is unnecessary, we need to accept each other and it is creating a bad image for South Africa,” Lombard elaborated.

The Braam Fisher Youth Gospel Choir’s opened the gathering with a song “A leng botseng tshepo yaka” led by Bongani Nkunzi. Dingaan Skosani organiser says the event have positive outcomes “We try to convert their (pupils) talent into a skill, in order for them to reach their full potential”.



Boys Choir starts proceedings.



On our way to the Constitutional Hill, we met a group of school children who were marching from King David Victory Park, passing the Nelson Mandela Bridge commemorating Equal Basic Education as the standard of education in rural and township schools has come under serious scrutiny in South Africa.

“I think that the youth of South Africa must really, really work together. All races and culture we must come together and fight for what we want and deserve in our new country,” explains one of the marchers Josh Broomberg.

Let's School You a Bit About 1976

Sthembiso Sithole

Iconic photo of Mbuyazi Makhubu carrying the body
of Hector Pieterson with the 13-year-old's sister on the side

Many of us have heard our parents talk about 16 June 1976 which was a turning point in the fight towards a free and democratic South Africa. They often tell us that pupils from five schools in Soweto near Johannesburg walked out of the gates in what was supposed to be a peaceful march as they were fighting for a good, adequate education system. Some of us seem to know the story until this point. We also know of the first boy who died, 13-year-old Hector Pieterson. Much of his story is in the Hector Pietrerson Museum in Soweto. Many young people don’t really know the 1976 story before and beyond these points.

I want to take you back to the memories of the dark days of this beautiful land and give you an overview on the causes of the uprising, what happened proceeding the day and how the government of the time dealt with it. I also believe that while it is important to look back in history we should also think carefully about what the South African youth today thinks about the challenges facing us – some of which are unemployment, HIV/Aids and the lack of understand of how political, financial and business structures can be accessed in order for us to truly prosper. The youth of 1976 was fighting for an adequate education system but the youth of 2011 is also fighting for an adequate education system that will prepare them for the future.


In 1953 the apartheid government of South Africa formalised the Bantu Education Act which would mean black South Africans would get an education inferior to that of white counterparts. There was also a Black Education Department in the Department of Native Affairs. The role of this department was to compile a curriculum that suited the "nature and requirements of black people,” Native Affairs Minister and later to be Prime Minister Dr Hendrik Verwoed is quoted saying.

"Natives [black people] must be taught from an early age that equality with Europeans [whites] is not for them," Verwoued once said. Black people were to receive an education that would lead to them serving the white man or going back to homelands – they were not to have an education that would allow them to prosper and be on equal footing with white people.

As a result of black people being forced to learn in Afrikaans they then decided to choose English as a language of choice, the homelands or Bantustans would use English and an indigenous, African language as a preferred language of communication. Realising this, the government used a 1974 decree to reverse the decline of Afrikaans among black Africans. The Afrikaner-dominated government used the clause of the 1909 Constitution that recognized only English and Afrikaans as official languages as pretext to do this. White students would be in a better position as they were learning in their home languages whereas black pupils would learn in Afrikaans.

After fighting with words and conversations all hell broke loose as in the early hours of 16 June 1976 the high school pupils met in the Orlando stadium to protest against what they felt was unfair in the black education system.

Roughly 176 people were killed, the students fought hard using sticks, rocks, bricks, even schoolbags. The peaceful march had turned violent as the police used teargas and fired gun shots at the youth.

Morris Isaacson High school led by Tsietsi Mashini was among those schools which took part in the uprising. The streets of Soweto were full of teargas and smoke that made the township dark.

Fast forward to 2011 the youth is now facing different challenges which I will discuss in my next chapter coming up in a few hours.

Young People Ensure Children Have Food & Clothes This Winter

Sthembiso Sithole

Young people who started a group on social network, Facebook, with the help of home care organisation, Thola Ulwazi, and members of the corporate sector have embarked on a campaign to improve the lives of orphaned children in Soshanguve Township.

Over the weekend the group called Difference Makers donated food parcels to orphanages. This was done with the assistance of a local BP service station, Tropika and a police station. Difference Makers founder, Sergeant Mnisi, says they have been visiting home based care centres since 2009.

“We started this group as a non-profitable organisation looking for home based centres where we can come and assist in any way as a way to stand against poverty and feed every child,” explains Mnisi.

On Saturday they were also assisting single parent homes struggling to make ends meet.

Thola Ulwazi Home Based Care and Training was founded by Venile Lekhwane in 1998 at the Ga-Rankuwa Hospital, now called George Mokhari Hospital.

“We worked in the infection control clinic of the hospital, where HIV/AIDS infected people get treatment every Tuesday. We provided patients with spiritual guidance and upliftment, and also gave them food to eat,” says Lekhwame.

Soshanguve is a poor township and many of its residents often struggle to make it to hospital and Lekhwame sights this as her reason for starting Thola Ulwazi.

“The challenges we are facing at present are unemployment, HIV/AIDS and general ill health,” she adds.

Organisers also deiced to honour Gertrude Semono,a woman from the township who dedicates her Fridays to donating vegetables to Thola Ulwazi. For this she received a blanket.

It wasn’t just serious business on the day – there was also a bit of entertainment provided by Gospel musician - Sydney Mathe, Programme Director and iKwekwezi Fm presenter Letty Nyathela Chilli and co-ordinator Paul Kutumela also known as Paul K.

“I co-ordinated this event to make sure that our community is served. We have children who need our help. Every year I co-ordinate such events in Soshanguve and Mpumalanga,” says Kutumela.

Some of those present expressed excitement at the donations. “I am happy that my child was given food and winter clothes today, this means a lot to me and I pray to God to help them to continue blessing mam Venile and Thola Ulwazi” remarks Jonathan Baloyi.

Young Sowetan Working Hard to Achieve Ultimate Success

Sthembiso Sithole

While many young South Africans who live in townships sit around and do nothing with their days, a 25-year-old Sowetan, Vusi Makhubo, is showing them that one doesn’t need to come from a wealthy environment to live out their dreams.

Makhubo has taken savings from a small job he does selling clothes at Mr Price to save up for DJing equipment and has also started a T-shirt printing business. He says well known Soweto entertainer, DJ Mbuso encouraged him. “I used to go to Dj Mbuso’s shop and see how he runs his music and t-shirt business, that is how I got my inspiration and I realised that he is one of the black people who is doing his best to make a living out of his abilities.” he says.


Mbuso has also used some of his songs in his compilations and was paid for them.

His brand is called Amayakayaka as that is a slang word Sowetans use when describing people who party too much. He started with just ten t-shirts. “We sold all of them in one day when we launched here at home.”

Makhubo believes that brands that come from South African townships can be popular in South Africa as has been seen with the popularity of Amakip-kip. As I chat to him we get interrupted by a young girl who comes in to ask for cell-phone credit. I then realise that he also runs a small shop from home.

He says it’s also important to diversify as there could be many people with ideas similar to yours. Apart from the shirts he also makes hoodies and hats. Like his mentor, DJ Mbuso, Makhubo promotes music shows around Soweto.

He says he experiences challenges like many other young businessmen but never allows those to deter him. “What keeps me going is the vision that I have for my business and the respect that my family taught me in my childhood.”

He is positive about his brand and says he wants to groom others interested in following in his footsteps.