When the sun rose in Mzanzi, a year ago, it did so across a land, changed forever, but despite the anxiety and uncertainty, one young man put his fears aside and sprang to action.
Southdowns College High School student, Bernhard van der Walt, 18, used his time during lockdown to build and launch an online news publication, Liberty Report, with a focus on uplifting marginalised groups and tackling social justice issues. The platform provides reliable and informative articles on the world’s current affairs – from the perspective of young South Africans.
Now van der Walt is calling on fellow young South Africans to share their perspective on current affairs. Van der Walt said the platform aims to redefine the way young adults engage with politics, economics, and social justice issues.
“These issues are becoming increasingly relevant to youth through the social media we consume, but these platforms only allow for surface level engagement – often without adequate research and understanding,” he said.
And he wants young people across South Africa to become contributors on the website and at the same time create opportunities for in-depth, independent study on the world’s current affairs.
Featuring a broad range of articles on topics spanning politics, economics and opinion pieces, Liberty Report has grown from a team of five to 20 writers in a matter of weeks with more than 10 000 views and counting.
“The website has made an impact in both the local community and across the country by becoming a credible and relatable source of content for younger South Africans seeking a two-way conversation about the issues affecting them,” said van der Walt who started Liberty Report in April because he had no extra-mural activities and decided to use his spare time productively.
Despite preparing for his matric year, his love of current affairs, especially international news, got the better of his curiosity.
“I am in matric now but for me it’s all about time management. This website has taught me leadership. Young people are becoming more globally aware,” he said.
It comes as no surprise that van der Walt is also the editor of his school’s newspaper, Southdowns Chronicles, which he manages with a team of fellow learners.
“I have the love and support of my family and I received lots of help from friends who are computer savvy. I would never have been able to do this without the help and guidance from so many people, I think there are so many young people with amazing talent but a lack of resources often stands in the way of them reaching their full potential.
“Our aim is to get young people to contribute so that they can become eligible to be admitted to any university in the world, and in so doing, improve their financial situation,” he said.
Other than his love for writing and news, van der Walt is also a keen hockey player and plays the saxophone. And while he has not decided whether he will study law, economics or pursue a career in social justice, he is confident that he will obtain eight distinctions in the 2021 matric exams.
“I am definitely going to work hard so that I can have a good job someday. But for me, it’s not just about chasing the money, I need to do something that will make a meaningful difference,” he said.
Van der Walt teamed up with university admissions and mentoring consultancy, Crimson Education, which focuses on building the candidacy of high school students wanting to study at top-ranked universities in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia, and China.
Country Manager at Crimson Education, Rebecca Pretorius, said Liberty Report is a great example of how a student can turn their passion into a project that benefits the community and improves their university application.
“Top universities are looking for candidates who show depth, are able manage academic pressure, and can demonstrate innovation even under difficult circumstances – such as the pandemic.
“With school and club-based activities, extracurriculars, competitions, and events cancelled, this is one of the best ways to show universities what you can bring to campus,” she said.
Van der Walt is encouraging aspiring writers and photographers with fresh perspectives or relevant stories to submit their work to be featured on the website.
For more information, or to submit content, visit The Liberty Report.