Youth Day is on Thursday and in Grahamstown you can choose from a number of events in the city.
Youth Day is on Thursday and in Grahamstown you can choose from a number of events in the city.
Seth Mazibuko, a key figure in the youth uprising of 1976, will give a public talk in the Barratt lecture theatre on the Rhodes University campus on Wednesday 15 June at 5.30pm.
The Rhodes University Office of Equity and Institutional Culture has invited all members of the university and the Grahamstown community to the talk which is part of Youth Week. The talk is titled: The legacy of June 16, 1976 and what it means for South Africa today.
Sandile "Seth" Mazibuko, now a Soweto-based community worker, is a former student leader and Robben Island prisoner who was the youngest member of the 1976 group of student leaders who were arrested, tried and prosecuted for leading the 1976 student uprising in Soweto.
Mazibuko, then an active member of the South African Student Movement (SASM) was tortured severely and kept in solitary confinement for over 200 days during his detention at some of the most notorious police stations in the country such as Johannesburg’s John Vorster police station.
Many people were involved in the historic turning point that June 16, 1976 became. Mazibuko will share with us his experiences and his vision for South Africa today.
Mazibuko is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the Morale Regeneration Movement (http://mrm.org.za/) that is led by Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa as its chairperson.
Makana Councillor, former ANC Youth League chairperson and current leader of the ANC in the Makana region, Mabhuti Matyumza will respond to the talk by Mazibuko. Light refreshments will be served after the talk.
Also organised by the Rhodes Equity Office is the Youth Parliament hosted by Mabhuti Matyumza in the Makana Council Chambers.
The Youth Parliament is from 9-11am on Thursday and registration is at 8.30am. School pupils and tertiary students are welcome – refreshments will be served.
Makana Aerobics and Fitness Club (MAFC) will celebrate Youth Day by promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports.
MAFC was under the leadership of Zipho Nkomonde from 2012 until the club volunteers decided to formalise and form a club where an interim executive was elected to drive the affairs of the club until the official launch later in the year.
It is on this basis that MAFC will be celebrating the youth day in style by hosting an inaugural sports day on the 16 June at the New Indoor Sport Centre building in Extension 6.
The purpose of this event is to encourage an active and clean lifestyle for the youth of Grahamstown as a whole.
It is expected that the event will bring all young people to one space and to participate in the activities scheduled for the day and play a pivotal role in ensuring that young people are in a safe environment, keeping themselves busy by being part of this event.
The main activities to take place on the day are:
- A 5km fun run/walk. The route will start and end at the new Indoor Sport Centre building via Joza through Extension 4.
- After the completion of the fun run/walk, a three-hour aerobics marathon will start where participants will be taken through their paces by instructors through aerobics, Taebo, Step etc.
- All are welcomed and parents are also encouraged to attend and encourage their kids to celebrate.
- All interested participants are encouraged to contribute a small registration fee of R10 for scholars and R20 for students and adults.
Registration is open and final registration will be done at the Indoor Sports Centre from 7am on the day.
And if you're in the Albany Road area, St Mary's Development and Care Centre in collaboration with Eluxolweni Shelter and Assumption Nutrition Centre are planning a Celebration of Song and Dance on Youth Day.
"We traditionally spend the day with other," said organiser May, who every year organises a sports day for children.
"This year we decided to do something different: we decided we wanted the kids to know what June 16 is really about."
Entry is free and activities start at in the Crown Hall, next to the Recreation Hall.
Acts include a cultural group from the Assumption Development Centre, gumboot dancing and a marimba band from the children's shelter and a performance by the Sun City Community Centre.
