On this day in 1976, frustration with the poor quality of education offered to black people boiled over in a national uprising that cost many lives. From that day, South Africa was in constant turmoil until the long-awaited day of freedom dawned.
So June 16 is a most important day, not only because young people raised their voices on a particular issue, but also because it was the catalyst of change across the board.
The education that black people had to endure was imposed on them by the white apartheid government that was then in control of the country.
That government was ruthless in dealing with opposition, so it took courage for those young people to take to the streets of Soweto in protest against a deeply-felt injustice.
Since democratisation, South Africa has come a long way. There are no longer separate school systems based on race. School attendance, as well as pass rates, are vastly improved. New schools have been built and old structures renovated. As a result, hundreds who were denied the opportunity in the past have progressed through the school system and gone on to succeed at university and in employment. They surely remember the sacrifices of the past with enduring gratitude.
Of course, all is not as it should be. Poverty, drug abuse and societal violence prevent pupils from achieving their potential. There are poorly qualified, poorly motivated and poorly disciplined teachers who are an impediment to sound learning.
While these issues persist, we cannot rub our hands with satisfaction and say “Thanks to the youth of 1976, all is well”.
That is the line of politicians, who want us to praise them for all they have achieved - the “good news” that ex-president Zuma boasted about - and not protest about what they haven’t achieved. But if Youth Day is to have any real meaning, the voice of protest raised in 1976 must not be silenced as the cause of the distress experienced by those brave young people is still with us.