Johanneburg - Have you ever wondered how homeless people spend their Youth Month or commemorate June 16?
Katlego Mofokeng, 27, who grew up on the dusty streets of Orange Farm. Mofokeng has been living on the streets of Joburg for the past nine years. He hangs out on the corner of Solomon and Enoch Sontonga roads in Brixton.
Mofokeng said he decided to leave his mother Ntombi* after he found it hard to stay with her. This was after he had started smoking cigarettes, bunking school and later stealing from his family, before running away from home.
“I used be a good boy back then. I enjoyed being at home, but unfortunately a lot happened. I was still at school doing what is now called Grade 8, when I started smoking. I started smoking cigarettes before moving on to smoking rock cocaine and Thai.
“I used to steal from my mother. She used to beg me to stop stealing. But I couldn’t, because I desperately needed money to buy my drugs.”
Recalling a day that he described as “the worst day of my life” Mofokeng said he was beaten by a large group of community members from Orange Farm, who had had enough of his criminal activities.
”I will never forget that day. They beat me up for hours, until they thought I was dead. They put me in a huge plastic bag and threw me in one of the dams in Orange Farm.
“At one stage I woke up after having a black out, I couldn’t walk properly, but I managed to get out of that place and go home. My mom and some community members were shocked to see me alive.
“They all thought I was dead. I couldn’t take it anymore, I decided to leave Orange Farm for good,” Mofokeng said.
Nine years ago, Mofokeng met an old friend *Thabo, who introduced him to the streets of Joburg and taught him how to survive as a homeless person.
Speaking about what June 16 means to him, Mofokeng said: “It is an important day for our country, because of the people who stood up against being taught in Afrikaans.
“Unfortunately, for the past few years I have been doing the same thing that I usually do on a daily basis. I help taxi commuters catch taxis from here to Cresta Mall.
“On Youth Day, I wake up at 5am and work. There is no time to sit and do nothing. I need money to smoke,” he said.
Mofokeng said while he was still at school, he and his friends used to play football to commemorate Youth Day.
“We all have dreams. Back then all I wanted to do was play football for one of the top clubs. I know I was good at playing soccer, but you know man, life happened.
“If there is one thing that this government can do for the youth, particularly us on the streets, is to accommodate us when it comes to Youth Day activities.
“It’s not nice to see people passing here on June 16 wearing school uniforms, singing and attending different events. What about us?
“Yes, we made mistakes, but we are still South African. Are we not?” asked an emotional Mofokeng.
Although he has no intention of returning home, Mofokeng hopes that one day his dream of being a football player can come true. He said the government must do something to cater for the homeless when it comes to youth empowering initiatives.
This week, Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma officially launched Youth Month at the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum in Soweto.
Dlamini-Zuma urged the youth to participate in Parliament’s public hearings, especially on matters pertaining to the country’s development.
“Parliament must hear your views and you must participate in the democratic processes. Parliament has asked for people to make inputs on land expropriation without compensation, and you must participate because Parliament is going to look into all the (inputs).
“You cannot sit and not send in your inputs,” said Dlamini Zuma.
In line with the government’s programme to celebrate the centenary year of the late Nelson Mandela and Struggle stalwart Albertina Sisulu, Youth Month 2018 will be commemorated under the theme “Live the Legacy: Towards A Socio-Economically Empowered Youth”.
June 16, 1976 will be always be remembered as a turning point for many young people back then, who gathered at their schools in Soweto to participate in a student-organised protest demonstration against apartheid and being taught in Afrikaans.
In their large numbers they sang freedom songs while others carried signs that read, “Bantu Education - to Hell with it” and “Down with Afrikaans”, as they made their way towards Orlando Soccer Stadium where a peaceful gathering had been planned.
On that day Hector Pieterson died from police gunfire while thousands sustained injuries during the march after police opened fire shooting learners.
*Not his real name
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