Youth league member demands equal rights

Eugene Bafana Manana is one person who never shies away from raising his voice against issues affecting the country’s youth. He recently called on the police to play their part to protect young girls and women in KaBokweni. This comes after the sad death and discovery of the lifeless body of Michele Nomqhele Maseko of Mangozeni Trust. Manana had recently been selected to be part of the ANC Youth League national task team. He has played leading roles in the Embrace Diversity Movement since 2020 and the  South African  Student Congress ( Sasco ) since 2017, and was re-elected in 2020. He had also been a district treasurer for the Young Communist League since 2017.

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Manana fought tooth and nail for human rights and acceptance of homosexuality. He is an advocate of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community.

Reflecting on his own encounters as a homosexual, he said, “I didn’t sail through life. I had to fight for acceptance, not for myself but for everyone who had been seen to be different because of their sexuality.

To the LGBTQIA+ I say: Always know that they don’t hate us, but fear what we may become.” Manana is a gender activist at the forefront of supporting and empowering young women, especially in the political and business spaces that are hostile to women and queer people.

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He holds very strong views of the development of young people and their inclusion in all spheres of government. He is a student pursuing his national diploma in administrative management with the University of South Africa. He said he felt the desire to fight for the rights and well-being of students in the country, so he joined Cosas and had been in its leading structures for a couple of years.