In more than four decades since the Soweto Uprising, South Africa still commemorates the day in various ways. This has encouraged the youth to take up spaces and make their voices heard like the youth of 1976.

The struggles faced by the youth in 2022 are different. In order for the today’s youth to shape the future, they should grab on to initiatives and every opportunity presented before them.

For example, while we grapple with the issue of youth unemployment, more must be done to encourage the youth to participate in spaces that are created in agriculture and rural development. These spaces create a conducive environment for the youth, not only to find work but to become entrepreneurs as well.

Though agriculture is not regarded as fashionable by the youth, it is, however, capable of creating employment, thereby eradicating poverty. Government’s efforts in creating awareness by holding roadshows showcasing opportunities for the youth is highly welcomed.

The initiatives like the Young Farmers Mobilisation Workshop that was organised by the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development, and sector departments and organisations in Evaton and Randfontein in Gauteng, to showcase opportunities for young grassroots farmers, have gone a long way in encouraging them to seize opportunities that will help them in their farming trajectories.

Sinazo Alungile Novukela, Lugangeni, Mount Frere