As Youth Month ends, we’re reminded that the real work begins now.
South Africa’s young people continue to carry the hopes of a nation still reckoning with its past and navigating its future. As part of the 041Online x Fineprint Youth Mentorship Series, we’re proud to share this heartfelt reflection by writer Viwe Gili, who speaks honestly about what it means to grow up in post-apartheid South Africa, with all its opportunities, contradictions, and unfinished business.
Written by Viwe Gili
Being a young person in South Africa at this day and age is not something that I can simply pin down or attach to one word, to better articulate its significance to me. I have mixed feelings. At 31 years of age, I have grown to see and learn that nothing is perfect in this world. I recognise that South Africa has come a long way and still needs to go a long way.
Have we gotten comfortable with what we have been able to achieve as individuals and forgotten about those who have been less fortunate? Have we overcome the vast inequalities that face our people?
I do not want to undermine the great things we have achieved as people after South Africa became a democratic nation. I believe in the principle that people need to work in order to make the progress they want in their lives and achieve their goals. Nothing comes easily; I think this is an important principle to live by—it teaches people to work hard, put in the effort, put in the time, and at the end, you get to reap what you sow.
But, in the spirit of having transparency and being honest, shouldn’t we all as the people of this beautiful land, be exposed to the same opportunities? Shouldn’t we all benefit from the same level of education and economic opportunities? I would really want the same opportunity as the next person, and if I then misuse my chance, I will not blame the system that governs us for not giving me a fair chance.
Realistically speaking, we are a young democracy; we still need to deal with a lot of issues before we can get to that state. Having said that, I would love to see a South Africa that says:
“We recognise our past. The history that we possess makes us who we are. It is what sets us apart from all the nations of this world—we are a rainbow nation, rich in our diversity.”
I want a South Africa that says:
“Let us be one nation, and let us have the same level of education so we are able to compete for economic opportunities fairly.”
I am very grateful to be in a generation that gets to experience what emancipation is. When I read our country’s history and imagine how a 31-year-old would have felt during the Soweto uprising, I cannot begin to fathom what it must have felt like to be there. In fact, I don’t think I would have had the same courage that they did back then. I am truly grateful that I do not have to violently express myself to that degree for my grievances to be given attention.
The Work Continues
Nonetheless, the fight for a better life still continues. We need to have honest conversations about what is happening now. We need to accept our history, and—31 years into democracy—we need to shift our thinking. We need to deal with problems as they appear today. We need to ensure equal opportunities for all those that were mothered by this land.
Let every single South African have the back of another.
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