Mamelodi stakeholders celebrated Youth Day by promoting good health among the youth, taking part in a fun walk and playing indigenous games on Sunday.
Most of the participants were youth from Mamelodi and surrounding areas under the programme called Youth for Health.
The event started with a fun walk at 07:00 from Balebogeng Primary School in Mamelodi East and ended at Stanza Bopape Sports Facility in Mamelodi Extension 5 with lots of activities.
One of the organisers, Nkeletseng Tsetsane from MB Teen Lifestyle, said they wanted to celebrate Youth Day differently compared to other townships.
She said instead of the expected political sloganeering and rabble-rousing speeches, members of these youth organisations observed the historic massacre by embarking on a fun walk and indigenous games.
Tsetsane said the event is celebrated annually under the Youth for Health programme, “whereby we take part in a fun walk, aerobics, and play indigenous games such as morabaraba, diketo, intonga/Nguni stick fighting, dibeke/skununu, and kgati”.
The event was attended by youth organisations such as MB Teen Lifestyle, Siyakha Youth Foundation, Aurum Institute, Voice in Action, Gauteng Men’s Federation, Thandanani Drop-Inn Centre, the CPF, Multi Sector HIV Response Unit, #Ke Ready, TAC, Wits RHI, Moses Mabhida Foundation, Built Africa Skills Development Foundation, the IEC, as wel as ANCYL and MKYL members.
“We are commemorating the June 16 massacre in a different way because youths of today have different challenges,” said Tsetsane.
“What we are trying to demonstrate here is that the power of collective effort can have a great impact on society, as there is strength in numbers.”
She said the event was all about having fun and promoting good health, and the youth members got a chance to know their status by getting tested for HIV/Aids.
She added the event was a platform for the youth to get help with social issues such as drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, homeless shelters, gender-based violence, men’s health, and HIV/Aids.
Face of Gauteng Teenager semi-finalist Ntombifuthi Gwala said the event was aimed at empowering the youth to ultimately achieve great things in their lives.
Thabang Masilo from Lusaka said he attended the event because it encouraged youth to stop abusing drugs and to know their HIV status.
He said the youth for health programme helped youth gather and share ideas and bring about much-needed changes in the country.
Kgodisho Magoro said the June 16 commemorations are a reminder of what actually happened between the youth and the authorities when they fought for tertiary learning opportunities and were also employed.
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