‘Freedom still unequal for many young South Africans’
GBTSA warns that for many young South Africans, freedom remains incomplete without safety, support and access to opportunity.
Girls and Boys Town South Africa (GBTSA), which operates a campus in Kagiso/ Randfontein, highlights how political freedom has not translated into emotional, social and economic freedom for many young people who continue to live in environments shaped by trauma, instability, and limited opportunity.
Drawing from over 60 years of youth development work, the reflection explores what freedom truly means for vulnerable youth and why safety, mental health support, education and real opportunity must form part of South Africa’s next chapter of freedom.
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For Karen Farred, CEO of GBTSA, Freedom Day is a moment of national pride, reflection and remembrance.
“However, beneath the celebrations, a difficult question remains – one that cannot be ignored: if we are truly free, why do so many young South Africans still not feel free? For many young people, freedom is not experienced as opportunity but as survival. It is waking up in unstable homes, carrying unspoken trauma, and trying to build a future with limited support, limited access, and few second chances. While South Africa has made progress since 1994, the reality remains that freedom has not been experienced equally,” Farred said.
At GBTSA, this reality is seen daily.
“Young people arrive carrying stories of neglect, loss, violence, and rejection. Many have had to survive long before they were given the chance to simply be young. Without support, these experiences shape identity, limit confidence and narrow what young people believe is possible for their lives,” she said.
Farred explains further that, “Freedom is not limited to the political. It is also emotional and psychological. It is the ability to make choices, access opportunities, and believe in a different future.”
At GBTSA, freedom begins to re-emerge when a young person feels safe, is heard, and starts rebuilding their sense of self through counselling, education, and life skills support.
The organisation sees young people move from hopelessness to possibility, from silence to voice, and from survival to direction.
“Freedom is when a young person realises they have a choice. It is when they begin to see that their future can be bigger than their circumstances.”
As Freedom Day is reflected upon, there is a call for honesty and courage. Political freedom opened the door in 1994, but social and emotional freedom are still being built every day.
“If South Africa is to move forward, the meaning of freedom must be expanded to include safety, support, mental health care, education, and real opportunity. Because until every young person can live with dignity, hope, and possibility, the story of freedom in South Africa remains incomplete,” she concluded.
