JOHANNESBURG - Those who grew up in exile during apartheid said fixing youth unemployment is the only way to ensure young people feel and taste the fruits of democracy.
Many struggle activists fled South Africa to neighbouring countries such as Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, and Tanzania.
Others went to the Soviet Union, Cuba, China, Spain, and the UK.
Some parents started families outside the country’s borders and those born there say life was difficult.
They're reflecting ahead of Freedom Day.
A milestone that changed the country’s history forever is 27 April 1994.
But for those who were born and grew up in exile during the struggle, the transition into a democratic South Africa came with a number of issues.
Tlholo Mohlathe of the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College (SOMAFCO) Trust said it was very confusing and messy.
“And there is still a hangover, it seems to last longer than you would have thought after 1994, you immediately think there is normalisation. But I think all South Africans went through a discovery journey, discovering the new moment and then trying to figure out what is the best model.”
While some say a lot has been achieved, others say more needs to be done to change the status quo and issues affecting young people.
Vukani ‘Lumumba’ Mthintso believes there is a “huge” responsibility to the youth of South Africa and the rest of the continent.
“I think there have been many gains, whether you look at the children that go through primary school getting free food, sometimes it’s the only food they get- social grants, and remember social grants were only reserved for coloureds and Indians, and those children that have gone through the system have been able to educate themselves.
“So, there have been gains. But there are huge challenges, and largely the challenges in my view are structural, and our response has not been able to address the cause of the structural challenges. So, what do we need to do better? We need to have a better education system. And when I say education, I don’t mean book-smart education. We need to have the right skills at the right places,” said Mthintso.
The youth who grew up in exile cite youth unemployment as the biggest problem in democratic South Africa.
“The challenges are glaring in terms of youth unemployment in terms of various things that come out of unemployment. We need to justify having fought very hard for a democratic system by producing the quality of life that is meaningful because I don’t think anybody fought for a democratic system only for the living conditions of individuals to regress,” Mohlathe said.
Nomzamo Nkatshu is a 1982 Maseru massacre survivor. One of her parents was a victim of the apartheid forces' cross-border raid.
She has mixed feelings about the country's current situation.
“Concerned and angry, those are mixed-up emotions that best describe how I feel. Particularly as a person who was born and grew up in the African National Congress. And the ethos and the indoctrination that we were brought up in Tanzania and exile.
“The ANC, people always ask us what we think of the ANC back then and the ANC now, it’s tricky and funny at the same time because the very same people who see how the ANC has deteriorated are the people who got us into exile.
“So, you can’t ask how the ANC is now compared to the ANC of exile, so I understand when journalists ask that question. Back in the day, when we were still very naïve and into politics of the ANC, my anger was more towards the ANC. Then the concern is, it saddens me, I utter the words with or without the ANC, let’s move on. It still carries, I suppose, the wishes of the majority of black South Africans.”