Soweto set for commemorative march in Orlando West

[00:00:00]South Africa is preparing to mark the 50th anniversary of the June 16, 1976 student uprising. Now, to honor the courage of students who stood up against apartheid education policies. They protested the compulsory use of Afrikaans as a language of instruction.

[00:00:16]A commemorative march is expected to take place in Orlando West, Soweto tomorrow. The streets are said to be filled with memory, emotion, as well as reflection. Organizers say the event will bring together 1976 uprising veterans as well as young people.

[00:00:30]They'll reflect on the struggles of the past and the challenges still facing communities today. The commemoration comes at the time when electoral authorities are urging young people to register to vote. Nomgqibelo Mkhize of the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance is among the organizers of that march and she joins us live via video link. A very good morning to you, Nomgqibelo. Thank you very much for joining us on the program. Now, you're among, of course, those who will partake in the march or actually those organizing the march. Talk us through the reasons behind organizing this march where not only will it be young people today partaking, but also veterans from 1976.

[00:01:08]>> Good morning to you and good morning also to the listeners and the viewers.

[00:01:12]So, uh it's 50 years now since 1976 when the youth um decided that they cannot continue to live under the circumstances that they lived in. And the current youth is also facing different circumstances, but not very, very different from the youth of 1976.

[00:01:30]So, tomorrow, together as you indicate with the veterans and young people, we are going to be finishing what they started. Finishing what was started.

[00:01:40]Because if you remember very well, the youth of 1976 did not actually get to reach Orlando Stadium. So, with the veterans tomorrow, they will be uh the youth of 2026, the class of 2026 will be finishing uh what was started together with the veterans. And then the veterans will be handing over the baton to the youth of 2026 to say, "We may have um we may be living in a time when apartheid is no longer existing in South Africa, but there's still a lot of challenges that uh the youth of 1976 faced that you still face, that you now need to carry on and make sure that you take the lead and be activists and be active in solving those problems that you are currently facing as the youth of 2026."

[00:02:27]>> Mhm. Now, from your view, what are the challenges that to this day have not been addressed? Because among others, it was the issue around the medium of instruction at the time. It was an oppressive regime, and you had young people who wanted to express themselves and even be taught in their own mother tongue. What do you believe right now, if we had to characterize the problems plaguing the youth of today, what do you believe are some of those lagging from the past, and what are the issues that they now have to as a generation confront themselves or define their own mission? What would it be?

[00:03:00]>> So, uh we actually have a group of young people in Soweto this weekend, and they themselves stated that the challenges that they are facing are around the issue of unemployment, which we are all aware of. A lot of our young people that graduate, they do not have jobs. There's around the issues of substance use and substance uh misuse in our country, particularly starting with alcohol, which is one of our biggest responsibilities as SA in our mandate, as well as the issues of uh drug abuse.

[00:03:28]The Madlala Commission has also just shown us exactly how deep this goes.

[00:03:33]There's around issues around poverty, issues around uh the the land uh situation, the fact that young people still find themselves in a situation where they cannot um with their families in in some instances not claim to have any land that they possess. Those are the things that the young people themselves brought to us.

[00:03:52]It's not even what Nomalanga is thinking, it's what they are saying themselves. And the fact that they're living in an unequal society, they're living in a country that has a lot of violence, that has a lot of gender-based violence. And those are the challenges that they face. Not very different from the youth of 1976, but perhaps there has been some betterment of some situations, but ultimately what we have come to with them is a manifesto that they would want to present to say as the youth of 19 2026, we have also a manifesto that we want to present to our president to say these are the challenges that we are facing 50 years on that are not so different from the challenges that the youth of 1976 faced.

[00:04:34]>> Mhm. Now, as an organization, you specifically deal with alcohol abuse.

[00:04:40]Now, you have among others been those that have said that in 1976 the youth among others resisted apartheid system that used alcohol as a tool of social control and economic extraction. We are seeing something somewhat similar this time.

[00:04:54]Perhaps the alcohol is used as a pacifier, but many would argue that alcohol abuse right now is somewhat slowly becoming a public health crisis where statistics have shown that one in five young people have probably been exposed to alcohol as early as 13 years old. How are you assisting in addressing this new problem?

[00:05:17]>> And thank you very much for articulating that so well. This is a problem that we as South Africans need to acknowledge.

[00:05:24]And we need to see that if we do not do anything about it, we are going down a road that we may not be able to come back easily from. And what we say as SAPA is prevention is always better than repair. The cost that as a country we pay towards dealing with the cost of alcohol is so high. Whereas if we dealt with preventing it, preventing the harm, we would be in a better situation. So, what we are doing, currently we are supporting a national treasury in its efforts to raise and increase our tax tiers, to reform the tax the tax regime in our country. And this is towards better alcohol taxation. And this is one of the evidence-based WHO SAFER initiative methodologies that they've said, if you you use these interventions, there can be betterment of your situation. So, that's what we are doing currently, but we are also talking to the nation about the issue of affordability. We need to really deal with that. The affordability of high strength alcohol products. Yesterday, we were shocked that there's actually sachets that are now being sold in the Eastern Cape that cost 10 rand, that have 43% alcohol. And they are sold in the most vulnerable communities. And then we've got the issue of licensing.

[00:06:40]We've got taverns all over in this country. Every corner has a tavern.

[00:06:43]That's something that we are also trying to talk about, and we're also trying to say to the country, let's do something about this. The issue of marketing, that is another big one. And we have constantly been saying that we need the liquor amendment bill of 2016 to be tabled, because it deals with all these problems. And all these together are a package of interventions that if we implement them effectively, we will see a reduction in the alcohol harm in our country.

[00:07:08]>> Mhm. It sounds quite comprehensive and possibly it would yield positive results. But what of the conversation around what drives them to decide to go the route of alcohol? Because you're saying there's an accessibility issue here, that you've got alcohol that is 43% uh it's 10 rand. So, meaning it is accessible. But the conversation around alcohol being some sort of a numbing tool, a pacifier to soothe these young people who are dealing with a lot of problems. Do you think perhaps there needs to be somewhat of a broader conversation around the issues that drive them there? To say if it's a lack of opportunity, perhaps tomorrow those are some of the things that need to be discussed around bringing opportunities to Soweto in Orlando West. That perhaps yes, Orlando Stadium has been rebranded and there has been an alcohol partner brought on board, but we heard that from the at least the administration of the soccer team, they said this was a deal for 5 years to try and inject funds for better infrastructure in the community.

[00:08:06]Are those the conversations that perhaps need to be had around creating opportunities so young people don't want to numb themselves?

[00:08:14]>> You know, the issue of the industry constantly saying that they're providing opportunities by providing harm because that's what it is. It's like you take the opportunity, but this opportunity comes with the harm. It It is no way you can separate the two. And you can never say that you are providing an opportunity with something that has clearly been a factor in the damage of communities.

[00:08:35]Right in Orlando Orlando East, the place where the Orlando Stadium stands right now. We are driving around now. You are seeing young people standing by the streets drinking right in front of that stadium. And the industry pushes this narrative that says we are providing jobs, we are providing opportunities, but these opportunities are not seen.

[00:08:56]These opportunities are not actually real. They're opportunities that are seemingly there based on what they say.

[00:09:03]When there's actual evidence that wherever the industry is allowed to push this narrative, the harm goes higher.

[00:09:10]It's evidence based. It's not that we're thinking about. It is actually evidence, which is why even the WHO also mandates that all countries should not be allowing the industry to be funding such things like what they've done with Orlando Stadium. It should not be happening. It is actually such a sacrilege. That's how we feel about it even as people of Soweto. That's what they are saying that this is such a sacrilege. The thing that is most important to them has now been branded by an an industry that is bringing so much harm. And regarding the the issue of opportunities, opportunities for young people are very important and they need to be provided. But these opportunities need to be real opportunities. They cannot be opportunities that seemingly or on paper look like they are real. Our young people are depressed. Our young people are dealing with serious mental health challenges and it is because of all the issues that they are facing. This past weekend has just been so so emotional for us because we were hearing them talk even about the very Orlando Stadium to say one on the one hand parents and adults and people that are in positions of authority, they tell us about the harms of this thing. But on the other hand then they allow such things to happen. What is that saying because basically what it says to us is this is okay. This is something that we should be doing. We are seeing that the harm.

[00:10:29]We are literally living in communities that are totally wrecked by alcohol. We are seeing the harm. We are seeing young people walking around the streets early in the morning like right now if you walk around any street in Soweto, you will see young people carrying these huge bottles of beer and you ask yourself where are we going as a nation?

[00:10:49]>> Mhm. Well, it is an important question that needs answering at this point. But for young people who want to partake tomorrow and be part of a progressive movement, how do they do so?

[00:11:00]>> So tomorrow we are going to be starting at 10:00. You can register. There's a link that you can find for your WhatsApp we can share it with you.

[00:11:10]But I the best would be at this point because people have already registered would be to come to Emma Street in Orlando and you when you get to Emma Street you go to the African Apostolic Church. That is where we will be. We start the match at exactly 11:00 and we are going to be starting at confrontational corner and walking all the way behind Hector Pieterson, and then we are walking down all the way to Orlando Stadium. I'm just outside Orlando Stadium, because right now as it is called what it is called, which we refuse to even mention on air, we are not getting stadium, but we're going to stand outside the stadium, and then we are going to then be handing over the baton the the veterans will be handing over the torch to the young people to say, "Take it forward now. We have come to this point. We are elderly, we are leaving, and they constantly are telling us now that something needs to be done.

[00:12:04]Young people need to rise up." Even the elections that you spoke about, young people need to go and register for elections, because it cannot be that they are going to be left with a country by the elders, which they are not taking responsibility for. So, we are also talking about the issue of active citizenry. Young people need to stop moaning, and we understand that they are in a lot of pain, but the young people of 1976 were also in a lot of pain. That did not stop them from rising up and taking responsibility and being active, and that is what we are encouraging.

[00:12:37]>> Indeed, active citizenry. Nontobeko, very powerful message, honestly, to say that the the youth of 1976, the veterans to tomorrow, will be concluding their march to Orlando Stadium, and then passing on the baton. Very, very powerful and quite symbolic indeed.

[00:12:51]Thank you very much for joining us on the program. That was Nontobeko Langa Mini. She is campaign director of the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance [music] speaking to us there.