I feel sorry for the students of 1976 who died for actively objecting to the use of Afrikaans in African schools as a medium of instruction.

They were the real fighters who stood up for what they believed was right. However, looking at the current generation, particularly black people, how we commemorate the same historical event is disgusting. This memorable day has no significance. 

Working people wear the uniform of their former schools to get drunk. We are a lost generation and can’t blame the government for that. We need to blame ourselves for not respecting people who paved the way for us. Everything to us is about alcohol.

These days, people get drunk at funerals. That is worse when they are delegated to handle lobola negotiations. These are occasions when people need to be sober-minded.

The former Minister of Police Bheki Cele once asked “Kanti yini le isetshwaleni?” (What is it in the alcohol?). 

Our children won’t know the significance of these historical events if we conduct ourselves in this manner in front of them.

We lost the plot a long time ago. It is our obligation as parents to educate our children about our history. 

Many of us who were born during apartheid but never participated in the struggle knew what was going on in the country.

For example, when my father came for holidays from Cape Town. He used to educate us about comrades such as Chris Hani, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Joe Slovo, and so on.

We knew them and their role in the struggle, although we never saw them because there was no television (or few houses owned them) at that time. 

Why can’t we do the same for our children and educate them about such incidents? Maybe the 1994 transition had made us forget where we came from and thought we made it. 

Let’s not fool ourselves, there’s a long walk to freedom. The struggle continues.