President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Wednesday commemorate Youth Day at a hybrid event to be held in KwaZulu-Natal.

This year marks 45 years since the uprising by school students against the mandatory use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction and the violent response of the apartheid government.

The shootings provoked protests throughout the country and intensified resistance to apartheid.

Youth Day will this year be commemorated under the theme, ‘The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society’.

Due to Alert Level 2 restrictions and the significant rise in COVID-19 infections, the commemoration will have a limited number of guests and key stakeholders, mainly youth, physically in attendance.

South Africans are invited to tune in on government digital platforms and major news channels to follow the day’s commemorative activities.

The President will provide an update on the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention announced at the 2020 SONA, and will officially launch SAYouth.mobi, the National Pathway Management Network, to expand opportunities and support available to young people.

The National Pathway Management Network is a partnership between the National Youth Development Agency, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, Department of Science and Innovation, Department of Employment and Labour, Department of Higher Education and Training, Department of Small Business Development and the Youth Employment Service.

Young people are encouraged to sign up to join the network and access opportunities through SAYouth.mobi.

The Youth Day commemoration will be live on government digital platforms and major news channels. 

Source: South African Government News Agency