By Sello Hatang:
As we mark the 50th anniversary of June 16, our Word of the Week is Legacy.
Fifty years ago, thousands of young people took to the streets of Soweto and other parts of South Africa to demand the right to a quality education and a future filled with dignity and opportunity. They were schoolchildren. They carried books, dreams and hopes. Yet they faced bullets, brutality and a system determined to silence them.
The image captured by photographer Sam Nzima of young Hector Pieterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo while his sister Antoinette Sithole ran beside them remains one of the most powerful symbols of our struggle for freedom. It is a photograph that reminds us that history is not merely a collection of dates and events. History is made of people, sacrifices and dreams.
June 16 is often remembered as a day of death, and rightly so. Lives were lost. Families were shattered. Communities were traumatised. But June 16 was also a day of life. It was a day when young people chose courage over fear. It was a day when a generation declared that their future mattered. It was a day when children became teachers and reminded a nation that freedom is never handed over willingly; it is often demanded by those brave enough to challenge injustice.
Legacy is not something we inherit passively. It is something we receive with responsibility. The generation of 1976 handed us a legacy of courage, resilience and hope. The question before us today is whether we are adding to that legacy or diminishing it.
The uncomfortable truth is that Hector Pieterson can die more than once. He dies every time a child sits in a classroom without adequate resources. He dies when young people graduate into unemployment and hopelessness. He dies when corruption steals money meant for education, healthcare and community development. He dies when leaders choose self-interest over service. He dies when we become indifferent to the struggles of the next generation.
Death is not always physical. Sometimes it is the death of dreams. Sometimes it is the slow erosion of hope. Sometimes it is the killing of potential before it has a chance to flourish.
Yet June 16 teaches us another lesson. It teaches us that hope is remarkably stubborn. Despite everything that generation endured, they refused to surrender their dreams. They believed that South Africa could be different. They believed that education could become a pathway to freedom. They believed that their sacrifices would create opportunities for those who came after them.
Today, we are the beneficiaries of that belief.
As I reflect on June 16, I am reminded that commemorations alone are not enough. We cannot honour the dead while stealing from the poor, neglecting the vulnerable and stripping the living of their dignity. We cannot celebrate sacrifice while refusing to make sacrifices of our own. True remembrance requires action. It requires us to become active participants in building the future that previous generations imagined.
One of the greatest gifts we can offer the youth of today is not merely advice but opportunity. We must invest in education, mentorship, entrepreneurship and innovation. We must create environments where young people can dream without limits and pursue those dreams with confidence. We must listen to them, trust them and walk alongside them.
Every generation is given a moment when history asks a question. For the youth of 1976, the question was whether they would accept injustice. They answered with courage. For us, the question is whether we will build a society worthy of their sacrifice. Our answer will be measured not by our words but by our actions.
The beauty of legacy is that it does not belong to heroes alone. Legacy belongs to teachers who inspire. It belongs to parents who nurture. It belongs to leaders who serve.
It belongs to citizens who choose kindness, integrity and compassion. Every day, each of us contributes to the story that future generations will inherit.
As we commemorate fifty years since June 16, let us remember that the struggle for dignity did not end in 1976. It continues wherever children need protection, wherever young people need opportunity and wherever communities need hope.
This week, may we honour the legacy of June 16 not only by remembering the past but by shaping the future. May we become the generation that refuses to kill dreams through indifference. May we become builders of hope, guardians of dignity and champions of opportunity.
For legacy is not what we leave behind when we are gone. Legacy is what we choose to build while we are here.
I often say that: The greatest tribute to the heroes of yesterday is not found in our speeches, but in the future we create today.
May we create a future worthy of June 16. – @NewsSA_Online
Follow us on our social media platforms below: