Soweto is one of the most famous townships in South Africa. As a person raised in Soweto, I can tell you for free that the hood is not nice.
Yes, there are some good elements to it, but it is not glamorous. There is a high teenage pregnancy rate, many school drop outs, unemployment, and alcohol and drug abuse.
While some become successful, many succumb to the toxic environment and become victims of the above-mentioned.
However, not all is bad as there are those young people who try by all means to make a difference in their communities and this month, we celebrate those people.
Hector Nzomi, Katlego Thwane and Goitsemang Modise are some of the Soweto youth that is making a change in society.
They are part of the NESTLÉ BARONE “It Starts with One” campaign, aimed at celebrating young South African game-changers.
Hailing from Dlamini, Nzomi is a 23-year-old drums teacher. Nzomi says he wasn’t good with books, so he had to learn a skill he could teach to other young people.
“I was a slow learner who attended a special school in Orange Farm. I then decided that since I’m not academically gifted, I should do something else using my hands, and that’s how I started to teach drums,” he says.
Representing Dobsonville is Thwane, a school teacher who runs Atlegang Bana Foundation. He tutors children on weekends to help them with English, Maths, and basic computer skills.
From Meadowlands is Modise, who has been teaching young girls netball since 2014. As a rape survivor, Modise wanted to keep girl children away from the streets by giving them something to do after school.
All three game-changers have been honoured with murals across Soweto. Nzomi’s is at Protea Glen, Thwane’s in Dobsonville and Modise’s in Meadowlands.