June is celebrated as Youth Month in South Africa. June 16 is marked as a special day on the South African calendar. The commemoration of the 1976 Soweto Uprising is conducted every year in order to acknowledge the role of the youth in the liberation of South Africa from the apartheid regime and remember those who lost their lives during the protest.

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It is also an opportunity for the young people to realign their actions according to the challenges of today.
The Inkosi Langalibalele Local Task Team, led by the Mayor Jabulile Mbele, celebrated Youth Month in Ward two, eMoyeni (Loskop) and Ward 20, eNgodini in Weenen.

‘Service delivery machinery’ in the form of Operation Sukuma Sakhe (OSS) is geared to fight poverty and social ills. June 17 and 21 saw Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality hosting two outreach programs in Ward 20 and Ward two respectively. Youth development is at the heart of municipal programs.

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Mrs Mbele gave encouraging words to the community of Ward 20, highlighting that the youth of 1976 had to fight for political freedom.

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Now that it has been achieved, the youth of today faces the challenges of poverty, which can only be eradicated through education since “education is the most powerful weapon, which we can use to change the world.” She also said that with education, one can change one’s background and the community. She also urged the youth to refrain from substance abuse, because drugs lead to criminal acts.

The two events took place at a time when the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature declared the period between June 7 and July 7, 2018 as a month of prayer in KZN.

During both events, government departments rendered services on site. Representatives also addressed the youth on various topics and urged them to be disciplined, share aspirations with those who are unsuccessful and seek advice to turn their dreams into reality, encouraging them to be resilient and grab opportunities.

Department of Health, the National Youth Development Agency, departments of Justice and Social Development, South Africa Social Security Agency (Sassa), Home Affairs, Thembalethu non-governmental organisation, the Bhekuzulu Self-Sufficient Project took their services to the people.

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