Hector Pieterson’s sister Antoinette Sithole has pleaded with young people to take part in the issues of their generation.
Antoinette Sithole, the older sister of Hector Pieterson, who was shot and killed during the June 16, 1976, Soweto uprising, has made an impassioned plea to the youth of 2026, urging them to engage in their own contemporary struggles.
This plea comes as the country commemorates 50 years after the historic protests, underscoring the urgency of action against the backdrop of a staggering unemployment rate that has surged to 32.7% in the first quarter of 2026.
With over 345 000 jobs lost and young people grappling with despair, Sithole says the hopelessness of young people should not be tolerated.
The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey from Stats SA reveals a troubling trend: as of May 2026, the unemployment rate has risen by 1.3 percentage points since the start of the year, marking over five years of joblessness hovering above the 30% mark—among the highest in the world.
