ON June 16, 1976, the youth took a stand against a violation of their rights and called for freedom. Yesterday, 36 years on, the youth of Khayelitsha were still calling for freedom – this time from unemployment, poor service delivery and “appalling living conditions”.
Khayelitsha’s Progressive Youth Movement (PYM) and the New Women’s Movement used Youth Day to demonstrate, and handed over a memorandum to the Social Development Department in Mandela Park.
It included a demand for R2 000 as a basic income grant, an increase to the child support grant, and an end to labour brokers.
Leading the group, PYM member S’bongiseni Faku, 25, said:
“We say no to the subsidiary wage. We will dismantle the law if we must. This fight won’t end here. We have plans to make this violent if we must.”
Faku has a qualification in economics, but is unemployed.
“We are crushing both the ANC and the DA today. We demand a living wage or else”.
The marchers, who ranged from bewildered-looking 10-year-olds to aggressive adults, chanted and sang in front of the government offices. Their memorandum was accepted by Social Development’s
Makhaya Jezile, who said their demands would be forwarded to senior management.
“It will not end in an office. We will make sure we listen and cater to the demands of the people.”
Weekend Argus