Apathy of the youth towards voting is disheartening
It is disheartening listening to the reckless and irresponsible comments of young people and their apathetic attitude towards the recent voter registration process.
Young people are jeopardising their chances for a bright future.
As members of our society most affected by social issues, ranging from unemployment, lack of access to funding for education and postgraduate training to the unavailability of career opportunities, one would have expected them to use the recent pre-election registration process to flex their muscle. Alas, I only witnessed a trickle of young people passing through the gates at my voting station.
Of course, this is worrying since thousands of undocumented young voters are now left outside the voting system. Without a voice to raise issues affecting their lives, many of these people may be the first to complain about service delivery issues and the very cause of economic disruptions in the forms of road blockages and burning infrastructure.
But even though their actions cannot be condoned, their grievances are legitimate.
Job creation and the lack of educational and training facilities will have to be addressed by authorities so as not to turn the youth into social rebels. We are all aware of how drugs and alcohol have destroyed the lives of our youth.
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Unless something is done to improve their outlook on life and turn them away from a life of crime and drugs, chances are the future for the youth looks rather bleak.
Violence begets violence
The violence that has engulfed many schools around the country seems to have reached a point of no return as teachers and learners become arch-enemies in the classrooms. The past year, 2018, was a record year for violent clashes between the two groups.
These acts of sometimes brutal violence put additional stress on schoolchildren and their teachers. The slow pace of the education authorities to find a lasting solution to this crisis is troubling for many parents.
Most parents have laid the blame squarely on the shoulders of the education authorities and the educators. That many male teachers are often found guilty of impregnating schoolgirls only exacerbates the situation. Some schools have even become dysfunctional.
One can only hope that as 2019 progresses, many of these problems will become a thing of the past.
Learners can also not be allowed to continue turning schools into battlefields of gang warfare.
Parents feel their hands are tied by laws that forbid them from disciplining their children by applying any form of punishment at home. Teachers also feel their ability to instil discipline in the classroom has been curtailed by laws that make it an offence to apply corporal punishment to their learners.
The learners are fully aware of this and many of them are making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for educators to do their job in class.
One can only hope and pray that the resolutions taken at the education indaba in Boksburg last week will soon fill in all the ugly cracks and prevent the disruptive challenges of 2018 from continuing.
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Farewell to a cultural hero
Thousands of South African music lovers are still talking about the death of Zimbabwean musician Dr Oliver Mutukudzi.
Judging by the accolades and heartfelt condolences sent by grieving fans on all media platforms, “Tuku”, as the talented lanky musician was affectionately known to his millions of fans around the world, was a giant who will be sorely missed by all.
We join Tuku’s family, his fans and supporters both in Zimbabwe and in South Africa in grieving for this cultural icon.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
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