Johannesburg – Actor Khulu Skenjana has urged young people and learners at Leondale Secondary School to distance themselves from the harmful effects of drugs.
Skenjana and veteran musician Sipho Hotstix Mabuse took part in the June 16 commemorative march to celebrate the 47th anniversary of Youth Day.
In 2022, the school came under fire after 36 of its pupils were caught smoking dagga inside the school premises, leading to the moniker ‘Dagga School’.
At the time, then-Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi ordered disciplinary processes against the learners, saying the incident would not be tolerated.
As the country commemorates the anniversary of the June 16, 1976, Soweto uprising, learners at Leondale Secondary School took part in an anti-drug campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of substance abuse.
The former Scandal actor said young people are under attack as drugs have become prevalent in schools across the country.
“Drugs are a lifestyle issue. What do you do for entertainment? What do you spend your downtime listening to? Does your lifestyle reflect the life you want? You are under attack. If you were not under attack, you would not be in such danger. There is a danger that you, as young people, are under attack. What freedom is this if we are under attack the way that we are? We all know when our history locally and globally tells us that there is a spiritual attack on young people. You need to seek truth not from the people you idolise but from God,” he said.
Mabuse said fighting the drug scourge was important for advancing a positive outlook among young people.
Mabuse urged the young people to take up the fight against substance and drug abuse, saying: “The youth of 1976 fought a different fight, and right now the youth of 2023 are fighting another fight, which is substance abuse. I urge you to take up the fight against this scourge. It is important (to do so).
“June 16, 1976, should not have happened. It is up to the young people of today to learn from the young people of 1976 in order to bequeath a better South Africa to those who come after them. Use your art and talent correctly to deal with the issues in South Africa. Any society that does not recognise the arts will be greatly disadvantaged in the future.”
Founder of World Changers Candidates Lucas Mahlakgane, who are the main organisers of the anti-drug campaign.
“As World Changers Candidates, we are saying let us be part of changing the narrative, and the youth of 1976 fought a different enemy.
“The youth of today are destroyed in more numbers than they were destroyed in 1976, as drugs are destroying young people.
“Drugs are a point of return, and once you start, you cannot escape them,” Mahlakgane said.
Mabuse also urged learners to read more about the painful past of apartheid.
The Star