I LOOK at my country in worry as we drift further and further away from our monumental year of freedom, 1994.
My worry predominantly stems from the disturbing behaviour exhibited by the youth of today.
These young people are South Africa’s future, individuals who are next in line to carry this country’s legacy onwards.
Sadly my hope and belief that they will take SA to greatness in years to come diminishes every day.
Just today, as an example, I witnessed a conversation between two secondary school pupils on my way home from work, which was dominated by their relationship issues and being intimately involved with one another.
My concern lies with the ease and freedom with which they carried on chatting about the intimate details, disregarding the presence of elderly people in the taxi.
It becomes a challenge at that moment trying to educate and discipline these kids, because in most cases the discipline is hardly administered at home.
A home should be the place where the most fundamental values and principles in a child are instilled.
The greatest of those values being respect, for yourself, your parents and people in general.
It is the absence or lack of this respect which then gives rise to schoolgirls finding it easy to publicly talk about how their 16 year-old boyfriends are not satisfying them.
Their minds are evidently preoccupied by negativity, rather than schoolwork and the desire to succeed and become major role players in this developing country of ours.
I commend members of the Zululand community who do not turn a blind eye when they witness young people go astray.
Please let us keep that up, the future depends on it.
SIBUSISO MBHELE
