An Open Letter to the Youth of South Africa: Reclaim the Baton of Revolution

By Noko Mabofa Maleka –
Talk Show Host | Journalist | Digital Activist

“The baton of freedom has not been passed to you; it has been hidden, broken, and kept under lock and key. Your task is not just to run the race — it is to reclaim it.”

As we mark yet another Youth Month, celebrating the unshakable courage of the 1976 generation, I write this letter not as an elder, not as a politician, and not as a preacher — but as one among you who refuses to accept the slow death of a nation by political betrayal and economic sedation.

We are a people who were sold out — and unless we, the youth, wake up to that fact, we will remain loyal to a system that was never designed to see us win.

A Legacy of Betrayal, Not Victory

In a groundbreaking interview I recently hosted with Carl Niehaus on 1 Africa Radio TV, the former ANC spokesperson unapologetically named the moment of betrayal: 1992, Davos, Switzerland. There, at the World Economic Forum, Nelson Mandela — under pressure from Western capitalists — abandoned the radical economic vision of the ANC’s Freedom Charter.

Niehaus points out that this shift was not rooted in democratic debate — but in elite compromise. The vision that guided the liberation struggle was sidelined, if not silenced. This betrayal would become the template for a post-apartheid South Africa that is politically free but economically shackled.

A Cloud of Confusion

Today’s youth have inherited a system designed to keep them disoriented. The results are clear:

  • Rampant youth unemployment
  • Crumbling education systems
  • Mental health crises
  • Hyper-consumerism and identity crises

This is not just economic stagnation. This is deliberate disempowerment.

Reclaim the Baton. Rewrite the Ending.

We cannot run a race if we don’t understand why we’re running. The first act of rebellion is to acknowledge the betrayal.

Our task now is not to romanticize political freedom — but to reignite the fire of true economic liberation. To demand land reform. Real education. True ownership. Mental clarity. Cultural pride. Purpose.

You Are Not the Lost Generation — You Are the Unfolding Chapter

You were never meant to win in a system designed to break you. But you can still change the rules.

Honour June 16 not just with songs — but with solutions. Not with hashtags — but with hard truths. Not with tears — but with tenacity.

You were sold out. But that doesn’t mean you must remain sold.

With revolutionary grace,
Noko Mabofa Maleka
Talk Show Host – 1 Africa Radio TV
Founder – Insight Jozi News

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