Herman Mashaba Says Youth Have Nothing to Celebrate on Youth Day, Blames Government for Failing Them

• Herman Mashaba shared his thoughts about the status of the youth during Youth Day celebrations in Soweto
• The ActionSA leader criticised the way the government has mismanaged things since the start of democracy
• Mashaba called on the government to use the day for reflection over celebration, as he highlighted ongoing struggles

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG – Herman Mashaba doesn’t believe that there’s anything to celebrate on Youth Day, blaming government mismanagement for the problems affecting the country’s youth.

Mashaba, the leader of ActionSA, made the comments on 16 June 2026 in Soweto, at the 50th-anniversary commemoration of the 1976 student uprising.

Noting that it’s been 32 years of democracy, Mashaba said that 60% of the youth had their chances of success destroyed because they were not given proper education, the education that the youth of 1976 fought for.

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Mashaba calls for a change in government

Speaking to the SABC News about how nothing has improved for the youth since the start of democracy, Mashaba noted that many public schools were dysfunctional in rural communities, adding that there was a huge challenge when it came to drugs.

“You don't provide them with education. You destroy their chances of employment because we closed down businesses. And now we have opened borders for international drug syndicates to destroy their lives. So, we need to really reimagine our country. We need to really bring a new political leadership in this country that can be sensitive about this,” Mashaba said.

“This is not a day to celebrate. This is a day for us to reflect as a country,” he added.

Mashaba said that all the people who were at the commemoration would leave and forget about the plight of the youth until next year again. He stated that the government needed to recognise that the area should be at the epicentre of arts and culture in the country and be responsible for bringing tourists on a daily basis.

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“Unfortunately, that is not to be. So, I really hope our political leadership today is not going to tell our youth to celebrate because they've got absolutely nothing to celebrate when 54% of our people live under the breadline,” Mashaba concluded.

Mashaba roasted for fixing pothole

In another story, Briefly News also reported that Mashaba was mocked by many during the launch of his party's local government election campaign.

The ActionSA leader took to the streets of Alexandra and campaigned by filling potholes after delivering a speech.

South Africans made fun of his pothole-fixing campaign strategy and said that he and his political party were jokes.

SA roasts Mashaba for willing to join the government

Briefly News reported that Mashaba earlier stated that his party would join the government if President Cyril Ramaphosa asked.

South Africans accused the ActionSA leader of being a sellout for the comments, given his previous comments about the party.

Mashaba previously stated that he wouldn’t work with the African National Congress, not even in 300 years.

Source: Briefly News