Last Saturday, at the funeral of Tsotsi actor Presley Chweneyagae, in Akasia, Pretoria North, actor Warren Masemola delivered a eulogy that was surprisingly scathing of his late friend for his drinking. He mentioned how he and Chwenyagae used to fight. “We fought about love, we fought over time, we fought about professionalism, we fought over children and family, among other things,” said Masemola. Then he said something that set the social media streets ablaze: “Strata le bojwala ase maemo.” Loosely translated, Masemola was telling young people that the streets and alcohol aren’t signs of success. Why does this matter?
I, like Masemola, grew up in Soshanguve, a township in Pretoria. It has its own share of problems, but hey, it’s home. Here’s the problem with Soshanguve – and I’d argue, many other townships across Gauteng and the country: The youth have no jobs, no role models and nothing to look forward to. The youth (18 to 34 years) have the highest proportion of unemployed workers at 46%.
That number is high, but if we break it down further, we see that young black women have it the worst. But that’s a topic for another column.
I don’t claim to speak for all young people, having recently lost my young person badge (I turned 35 in April), but black youth are facing a crisis.
The factors crippling us
For many who are stuck in townships, life is hard, and they’ll find anything to feel better about themselves. That’s where the overconsumption of alcohol, drugs and excessive gambling comes in.
A 2022 study estimated youth drinking at 32%, especially between the ages of 11–20 years, while 12% of teenagers are reported to initiate alcohol use before 13 years of age. Additionally, recent data showed the prevalence of alcohol use among high school learners ranging from 22% to 69%. The study participants were from peri-urban areas, particularly Tshwane North and West.
Still don’t think that’s troubling? Let’s talk about drug use. A January 2025 GroundUp report found that until 2019, Soshanguve and its neighbouring townships had been less affected by crystal meth than other areas in the country. This is no longer the case, with usage now exploding partly due to dealers selling the drug for as little as R10. This is heartbreakingly too affordable and accessible. How many are we losing to this?
Then there’s the gambling. So much gambling. A survey released last year found that South Africans had spent 1,1 trillion on gambling in 2024, a 40% increase from 2023. That is as much as the GDP of Türkiye in 2023! Speaking in parliament in November, RISE Mzansi MP Makashule Gana urged the Department of Social Development to address what he called the “growing scourge of online gambling affecting young people and grant recipients.” He went on to say that online betting was more addictive than nyaope, and I agree with him. It’s so widely advertised and ready at the blink of an eye. I have friends who have had encounters with people they’re interested in asking them to “buy me a voucher” so that they can gamble. Who said romance was dead?
Where do we go from here?
With all these social ills facing black youth, who do they turn to? Well, clearly not government or politicians. We’ve all seen in real time how we went from progress under the Mandela/Mbeki era to stagnation and, even worse, state capture under the Zuma era. There was a time when this country was thriving, and young people had ambition because achieving their goals seemed attainable if they worked hard enough. But now? Youth unemployment is up 46%, the only people benefiting from government programmes are the well-connected and fraud and corruption run rampant.
What do we do? How do we get our young black youth motivated and working again? Well, the stats seem to suggest that despite all their hardships, young people have the lowest proportion of discouraged workers (2%), compared to the 50 to 64 age group (5%). So the kids want to work. They’re willing to. We just need a government that has the hutzpah to make the tough decisions and get young people employed again.
Masemola’s speech resonated with many, including me. I just hope that the right people heard him. Less expensive suits and more youth empowerment. Otherwise, we risk a dangerous uprising, the likes of which democratic South Africa has yet to see.
Tshego is a writer and law student from Pretoria. A keen follower of social media trends, his interests include high fantasy media, politics, science, talk radio, reading and listening to music.
He is also probably one of the only people left who still play Pokemon Go.
COLUMN | Young black South Africans are demotivated. That should worry us all.
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Last Saturday, at the funeral of Tsotsi actor Presley Chweneyagae, in Akasia, Pretoria North, actor Warren Masemola delivered a eulogy that was surprisingly scathing of his late friend for his drinking. He mentioned how he and Chwenyagae used to fight. “We fought about love, we fought over time, we fought about professionalism, we fought over children and family, among other things,” said Masemola. Then he said something that set the social media streets ablaze: “Strata le bojwala ase maemo.” Loosely translated, Masemola was telling young people that the streets and alcohol aren’t signs of success. Why does this matter?
I, like Masemola, grew up in Soshanguve, a township in Pretoria. It has its own share of problems, but hey, it’s home. Here’s the problem with Soshanguve – and I’d argue, many other townships across Gauteng and the country: The youth have no jobs, no role models and nothing to look forward to. The youth (18 to 34 years) have the highest proportion of unemployed workers at 46%.
That number is high, but if we break it down further, we see that young black women have it the worst. But that’s a topic for another column.
I don’t claim to speak for all young people, having recently lost my young person badge (I turned 35 in April), but black youth are facing a crisis.
The factors crippling us
For many who are stuck in townships, life is hard, and they’ll find anything to feel better about themselves. That’s where the overconsumption of alcohol, drugs and excessive gambling comes in.
A 2022 study estimated youth drinking at 32%, especially between the ages of 11–20 years, while 12% of teenagers are reported to initiate alcohol use before 13 years of age. Additionally, recent data showed the prevalence of alcohol use among high school learners ranging from 22% to 69%. The study participants were from peri-urban areas, particularly Tshwane North and West.
Still don’t think that’s troubling? Let’s talk about drug use. A January 2025 GroundUp report found that until 2019, Soshanguve and its neighbouring townships had been less affected by crystal meth than other areas in the country. This is no longer the case, with usage now exploding partly due to dealers selling the drug for as little as R10. This is heartbreakingly too affordable and accessible. How many are we losing to this?
Then there’s the gambling. So much gambling. A survey released last year found that South Africans had spent 1,1 trillion on gambling in 2024, a 40% increase from 2023. That is as much as the GDP of Türkiye in 2023! Speaking in parliament in November, RISE Mzansi MP Makashule Gana urged the Department of Social Development to address what he called the “growing scourge of online gambling affecting young people and grant recipients.” He went on to say that online betting was more addictive than nyaope, and I agree with him. It’s so widely advertised and ready at the blink of an eye. I have friends who have had encounters with people they’re interested in asking them to “buy me a voucher” so that they can gamble. Who said romance was dead?
Where do we go from here?
With all these social ills facing black youth, who do they turn to? Well, clearly not government or politicians. We’ve all seen in real time how we went from progress under the Mandela/Mbeki era to stagnation and, even worse, state capture under the Zuma era. There was a time when this country was thriving, and young people had ambition because achieving their goals seemed attainable if they worked hard enough. But now? Youth unemployment is up 46%, the only people benefiting from government programmes are the well-connected and fraud and corruption run rampant.
What do we do? How do we get our young black youth motivated and working again? Well, the stats seem to suggest that despite all their hardships, young people have the lowest proportion of discouraged workers (2%), compared to the 50 to 64 age group (5%). So the kids want to work. They’re willing to. We just need a government that has the hutzpah to make the tough decisions and get young people employed again.
Masemola’s speech resonated with many, including me. I just hope that the right people heard him. Less expensive suits and more youth empowerment. Otherwise, we risk a dangerous uprising, the likes of which democratic South Africa has yet to see.
Tshego Mphahlele
Tshego is a writer and law student from Pretoria. A keen follower of social media trends, his interests include high fantasy media, politics, science, talk radio, reading and listening to music.
He is also probably one of the only people left who still play Pokemon Go.
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