JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — As South Africa marks Youth Day and the 50th anniversary of the historic Soweto Uprising, the MK Party Youth League has expressed deep frustration over the current state of the nation’s youth. Speaking on the significance of the commemoration, the party’s leadership highlighted ongoing struggles with unemployment and the regression of free higher education policies.
Siyethemba Magwaza, National Chairperson of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) Youth League, shared these perspectives during a recent broadcast interview. Drawing parallels between the 1976 student uprisings and the current plight of young South Africans, Magwaza noted that while the youth of 1976 took to the streets to protest the apartheid government, today’s youth are forced onto the streets by modern systemic failures. He cited rampant unemployment, drug abuse, crime, and a lack of access to quality education as the primary drivers of contemporary frustration.
When asked to trace the origins of these modern grievances, Magwaza pointed to the 2014–2016 period, specifically highlighting the “Fees Must Fall” student protests. He emphasized that the demand for a decolonized and accessible higher education system remains an unresolved fight today.
The discussion then shifted to the administration of former President Jacob Zuma. Magwaza praised Zuma’s response to the student protests, claiming that his administration made the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) highly accessible. According to Magwaza, students reliably received their allowances, and the groundwork for free education was successfully laid during this time.
However, Magwaza alleged that these progressive gains were entirely reversed after Zuma left office. He described a “total collapse” of NSFAS in the subsequent years, stating that students are currently failing to receive crucial allowances for food and accommodation—a stark contrast to his description of the Zuma era.
The interviewer challenged this narrative, pointing out that the “missing middle” crisis—where working-class parents earn too much for NSFAS but too little to afford tuition—was prevalent under Zuma’s watch. The interviewer also noted that students protested over missing allowances during that same period, and pointed out that the current administration has since introduced a specific “missing middle” loan product to address this historical gap.
Conceding that there were isolated issues during Zuma’s tenure, Magwaza argued that the sheer volume of current crises far outweighs those of the past. He maintained that solutions for the “missing middle” were actually pioneered during Zuma’s presidency, allowing students outside the NSFAS income brackets to register and pay their debts in manageable installments, thereby continuing their studies without interruption.
