Tembisa youngsters rise to the challenge
The march is among other initiatives undertaken in collaboration with the 21st Century Youth Movement, which is set to be officially launched later in the year.
Early on the Monday morning of Human Rights Day, the chants of young people could be heard from a distance.
At first glance, one could easily have mistaken the singing and chanting, accompanied by the blue lights of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), as a protest.
However, these were young people marching down the streets of Ebony Park, Kaalfontein and Allandale, proclaiming their Christian Faith and raising awareness about the social issues they are faced with.
March4Christ Midrand is a public awareness campaign to proclaim the Christian faith and bring attention to the social ills that young people are confronted with in their communities.
The march is among other initiatives undertaken in collaboration with the 21st Century Youth Movement, which is set to be officially launched later in the year.
The march was established in 2008 and is hosted annually.
This year’s march was different from previous years as it was not only focused on praying for concerns, but also challenged young people to rise.
With its theme being #RISE, the march drew close to 100 young people, who were attracted through social media.
“In recent months we have seen a movement of calling for things to fall, but we decided to take a different route. Instead of calling for them to fall, we are encouraging young people to rise. We are basically making a call to action for ideas to rise, for compassion, family unity, jobs and businesses,” said March4Christ Midrand convener, Mr Phuti Moyaha.
The initiative has grown from strength to strength as more young people take part each year.
Young people from as far as Nelmapius in Pretoria took part in the event.
The strength of the march also stems from its leaders’ ability to form partnerships with different organisations.
According to Mr Moyaha, the march involves young people from different churches as well as those in and around the communities of Midrand.
Furthermore, the march is also set to spread to other communities beyond Tembisa and Midrand.
It is envisaged by the organisers of the march that Human Rights Day will also be used as a day where people pray for their communities so that their dignity, among other rights, may be restored.
“As the young people of Tembisa and Midrand, we also believe in prayer. Not only do we believe in praying for things, we also believe in taking a stand and acting. Therefore, we are excited to be part of this initiative and we hope our participation will see the event growing stronger in the future,” said the newly formed NPO – Midrand Youth Development board member, Mr France Kgosana.
Mr Kgosana said it is refreshing to see young people taking a stand in an attempt to address their challenges.
“We hope and pray that March4Christ continues to grow and raise awareness in the communities it is hosted,” said Mr Kgosana.
