When the anger of the youth erupts it will be much bigger than 1976

Melanie Verwoerd

Last week we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1976 uprising. Conscious of the surname I carry, I felt it better to leave the writing about this very painful historical event to others, until I heard the president’s speech on June 16.

Understandably, with elections coming up, President Jacob Zuma focussed on all the achievements of the ANC government over the last 22 years – in particularly for the youth. Schools that have been built, libraries upgraded, fees waivered, tablets for learning etc. So all in all Zuma wanted to let us know the ANC has done well for the post-1994 generation. But I think if the president got rid of half of his bodyguards for a day and spent some time with young people, especially in the townships, he would know how wrong he is.