DEAR leaders, I write this letter to you seized by the eternal memory of the enduring image of Zolile Hector Pieterson which epitomises the history, present and, indeed, future of the African child. So many stories have been written about the tragic fate of this unfortunate young man whose life was brutally cut short by the mean machine of the colonialist. Stories that can help the younger generation to garner the much needed courage to repel foreigners’ now brazen attempts to recolonise Africa — your Africa, and our Africa.

Pieterson’s iconic image also helps the younger generation to remain defiant in the face of adversity. Defiance should thus be the only word and way out for Africa.

The same defiance that moulded heroes like Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, Julius Malema, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Thomas Sankara, Robert Mugabe, Josiah Tongogara, Herbert Chitepo, Samora Machel and Kenneth Kaunda, to mention but a few. As such, I am tempted to repeat that gruesome narrative before we get to the critical issues that are currently afflicting the continent, with the future of the African child firmly in mind. This is so because our erstwhile colonisers have yet to stop making overtures to lay their hands on our resources. They will not stop. And they are coming with all their might. We should all be wary of those heinous machinations. Pieterson was just two months away from becoming a teenager, a critical phase of growing up, when he met his fate. But at that tender age, he, like 10 000 other black students who participated in the Soweto Uprising on June 16, Pieterson was already seized with the travesty of colonialism. He, like his fellow students, wanted to celebrate being African by learning in their native languages of Xhosa and Zulu. They were conscious enough to know that their freedom lay in embracing their culture of hunhu/ubuntu. Our culture, norms and values have since been eroded by the colonialism which thrives on imposing its will on other peoples and nations. They now bring in aid tied to such insane conditions as forcing upon us inhuman practices such as homosexuality which they say is a ‘democratic tenet’. African countries and peoples who do not accept such are slapped with illegal sanctions and cut off from multilateral financing institutions.

It is trite nut true to say that we can only be truly free if and when we draw from our indigenous knowledge systems, language and culture. That the apartheid machinery not only opened fire on the protesting students in Soweto, but tried to mask the cause of Pieterson’s death amplifies the widely held view that their ongoing attempts to install puppet governments on the continent are largely driven by their disrespect of black people. A post-mortem revealed that Pieterson was killed by a shot fired directly at him, not by a bullet that ricocheted off the ground as the police claimed.

Estimates indicate that 566 students, including Hastings Ndlovu, were murdered on that fateful day. They also show the determination by the Boers to annihilate blacks from the surface of the earth. In the midst of time, let us not forget Sam Nzima, the photographer who captured Pieterson’s lifeless body being carried by a fellow student while his tearful sister ran next to them. “I saw a child fall down. Under a shower of bullets, I rushed forward and went for the picture. It had been a peaceful march,” recalled Nzima.

This is just one of the many things that we have forgotten about our agonising past. We should sing Nkosi Sikelele Afrika for him, too, when we map the way forward for young people in Africa. He, too, is our hero. But that image remains the focal point of South Africa’s struggle for freedom. That iconic image of the struggle will forever remain etched in our psyche. It is an image that remains etched in the collective memories of the progressive forces on the African continent. An image that torched the unwavering spirit of total freedom for all the peoples of Africa! The question that remains is: Are we home yet? For some African countries, like Zimbabwe, the answer is ‘Yes’, but for most, it is a resounding ‘No!’ Born in the same year and month as our own ZANU-PF, Pieterson has helped inspire young people in Zimbabwe; firstly to take up arms against the enemy and to also integrate them into the mainstream economy.

The results: A fully economically empowered youth base and a country under illegal sanctions from an unforgiving West that wants to cull that beautiful narrative! Now to the burning issues. According to an August 16 2023 report by the World Economic Forum titled ‘How Africa’s youth will drive global growth’, Africa has the world’s youngest population, with more than 60 percent of the continent’s youth under the age of 25. That population is expected to reach 2,5 billion by 2050. “Notably, by 2035 there will be more young Africans entering the workforce each year than in the rest of the world,” reads part of the report. Part of the AU’s Agenda 2063 is the promotion of a youth-led development thrust. It focuses on education, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and gender equality, among others.

With this year’s theme for the Day of the African Child being ‘Education for all the Children in Africa: The Time is Now’, it is unfortunate that more than 30 million African children are currently out of school. Dear leaders, let us address those issues with the spirit of Pieterson in mind! Let those with ears listen.