Family Recreates Iconic Photo of June 16 Soweto Uprising, Highlights Youth’s Current Struggle of Unemployment

• A local family re-created the famous photo of Mbuyisa Makhubu holding Hector Pieterson in his arms alongside Antoinette Pieterson
• The original image was captured on 16 June 1976 during the Soweto youth uprising where youth protested being taught in Afrikaans
• The new photo mirrors the historic one but highlights the issues of unemployment faced by today’s youth

In honour of Youth Day, which was observed yesterday, a South African family paid tribute to the Class of 1976 by recreating one of the most iconic images to come from the Soweto youth uprising of 16 June 1976.

The original photo shows Mbuyisa Makhubu holding Hector Pieterson in his arms while running alongside Antoinette Pieterson.

The Review Observer stated that on the morning of June 16, 1976, thousands of black students went on a protest rally from their schools to Orlando Stadium in Soweto. They were protesting against an official order which made Afrikaans compulsory in black township schools throughout the country.

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In tribute to this, social media user @TshepyMo shared a photo of a family mirroring the original photo, as a lady dressed in graduation attire holds a child in her arms, with another alongside them. However, to make the image more relevant to the current times and struggles, the two children are seen holding boards that read “No Jobs” and “Unemployment”.

Many Mzans netizens were touched by the post and took to the comments to share their views on the current struggle faced by today’s youth.

@ChomaneThabo shared

“A sad reality, and more sadly the vastness and the depth of this evil called unemployment is unimaginable, and many people responsible for this have not been held accountable.”

@MSivangani wrote:

“I see such situations it really hurts me very much. After all the years of hard work in school. Let's encourage youths to build their businesses, apply their theory lessons which they were taugh into practical life solutions.”

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@musa_chigiji responded:

“The loudest speech ever made!”

@Mariann69759916 replied:

“The sad truth of promises broken by their ANC Government #TrueStory”

Disheartened unemployed woman says she’s taking a break from job hunting

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that a disheartened job-seeker from Johannesburg says she’s taking a break from applying for work after being unemployed for two years.

The woman, who is a public relations and communications professional, said that she needs a mental health break from the job hunt, noting that the emotional stress it put on her has been unbearable.

In a post on LinkedIn, Mamello Raborifi spoke about her struggles with finding employment and needing to take a break to enjoy the simple things in life:

“After almost two years of no formal employment, a large number of job applications, few interviews coupled with rejection emails, today I take a decision to stop sending job applications."

Source: Briefly News