Soldiers salute class of 76
Youth need to have an opinion and a standpoint to avoid being bent over easily.
This advice was shared by Captain Sifiso Masuku, while addressing soldiers during the youth day celebration on Friday.
The was hosted at 1 Construction Regiment in Dunnottar, and Masuku, a student at the military academy, was tasked with giving the historical background of Youth Day.
He mentioned that the cause of the 1976 uprising started in a classroom, and sends a message to the youth about the importance of education, as a tool of moving the country forward.
One of the event organisers, Chaplain Michael Moepya, said the day aims to discourage substance abuse amongst youths in the base.
He said soldiers were advised to wear school uniform, to commemorate the class of ’76.
Entertainment was provided by the soldiers, performing scenes from the movie Sarafina, poems and dancing to old time hits by Mahotella Queens.
After a presentation by a representative from SANCA in Nigel, an offender who is still serving his sentence in Boksburg Prison gave an account of his experiences.
Ben Radingoana (35) says he was sentenced to 57 years behind bars, which was reduced to 30 years in 2002 after an appeal.
He was convicted of various crimes, some of them drug related and admitted to having smoked dagga, buttons, rock and many other drugs and is a throat cancer survivor.
His biggest caution was for soldiers with children to go home and check their kids for tattoos, especially those depicting Rough 3, 4, gang 26, 28 and double star.
He urged parents to play an active role in their children’s lives, saying “a lot of kids are lured into being devil worshipers through these gangs.”
Ben told the young soldiers they should appreciate their uniform as theirs is that of success, while his prison uniform represents shame.
