By: Adefemi Obalade
To change the world for better requires lot of strategies and commitment. In South Africa, changing the nation requires a proactive disposition. Young, vibrant and committed activists are now springing up to ensure brighter future for the country and the youths in particular. There are some areas of governance that are not in favour of the masses and needed to be brought to the attention of our political leaders and stakeholders if at all we want to attain greatness. In South Africa, several young women and girls such as ‘the seven young girls’ are now at the forefront of activism through education, climate action, and action against gender-based violence. These girls have demonstrated to the world that no one is too young to change the world for better economic benefits for the citizens. Munnira Katongole a 17-year-old South African activist has been known for her radical approach towards ensuring social change and climate justice. Katongole is an affiliate of the South African Institute of International Affairs’ Youth Policy Committee on climate. She said in one of her speeches that “Millions of women and girls are being abused and killed every day, simply for existing in this white, patriarchal society. How can one not speak up for gender equality? I’m an unapologetic, radical, Black feminist. Seeing young girls suffer and even die, completely unnecessarily, fuels my activism.” Ingrid and Enersh are both 13 years old South African activists who advocated for good education for girls. Despite the fact that both came from a community where only close to 40% of the population have completed grade 12 or higher and 40% remain unemployed, the duo strived to break the record of their school by being the first students to be accepted into Langa Education Assistance Program (LEAP). LEAP only make provision for 40 slots each year with lots of application across Cape Town and many other communities more privileged than that of Ingrid’s and Enersh’s. Four young women activists who are seriously against gender-based violence have been very passionate about their convictions and have been unequivocal about its manifestation.
These four young women activists of Nyanga and Bonteheuwel part of South Africa include 17-year-old Nashieka, 20-year-old Mihlali, 12-year-old Inam, and 14-year-old Anelisa. South Africa has been known to have history of gender based violence and Nyanga is consistently ranked the murder capital of South Africa, with a murder rate of 15.2 murders for every 100,000 women. The four young activists fighting hard to change the narrative have yielded positively in some regions of South Africa. In their quest to rid South Africa of gender-based violence, they tried to equip survivors of gender-based violence between the ages of 9 and 21 with skills for self-defence and tools needed to actualize the defence. In one of her narrations, Nashieka said “I didn’t know anything about self-defence when I came here,” but the pepper spray included in POWER2YOU Pack was able to save her life when a gun man attempted to rob her. All the four girl activists are now educating other girls in schools and communities about their rights and how to equip themselves for self-defence in case such situation arises. Othembele Dyantyi, a 13 years old female activists, is another patriotic personality who started her activism against climate change when she was just 10 years old. Othembele joined Khayelitsha Eco Warriors and currently, she is a member of the African Climate Alliance (ACA), a youth movement fighting for social and ecological justice. She said in one of her speeches “I live in a marginalized community, and it’s a very underscored community. If we have a tree in a neighborhood, it gets cut down immediately because they use the wood for braaing [grilling or roasting] and building shacks. We don’t actually appreciate the resources we have.” Othembele has been co-running an eco-club at her school to encourage other students especially girls to embrace climate justice activism by starting with small changes in their homes and communities.
Challenges of young women activists in South Africa
Despite the numerous milestones achieved by young women activists in South Africa, there are some challenges that confront them. Some of such challenges are:
Mitigation strategies for young women activists in South Africa
In conclusion, young women activists in South Africa are doing well in their course to serve humanity. They have played a major role in generating sensitivity to the plight of women and girls within the society. In the course of their activities, many challenges have been identified. It will however be expedient if some of the recommended mitigating strategies are adopted to encourage more young women activists in South Africa.
Dr. Adefemi Obalade writes in his personal capacity