August 1, 2007
By Millicent Kgowedi
THE new junior mayor of Johannesburg made her first public appearance at Lancea Vale Secondary School in Eldorado Park on Tuesday, 31 July, meeting learners, parents, teachers, principals and other invited guests.
Thandeka Shongwe, a pupil at Lancea Vale Secondary, was elected junior mayor, along with other members of the new Student Council on Wednesday, 20 June at a ceremony at the Apartheid Museum at Gold Reef City.
The City's Junior Council
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
On Tuesday, Shongwe sat confidently on stage, together with her deputies and chairpersons. Nkele Ntingane, the Speaker of council, and Ashley Phillips, Lancea Vale Secondary's principal sat alongside the Student Council members.
Junior Speaker Palesa Nombula, from Trinity Secondary School, handled the proceedings. She spoke confidently in front of the pupils, parents, teachers and members of council.
"Being elected to serve in the Student Council is not only a great opportunity but an honour for me," Nombula said.
The vibrant Keamogetswe Tshepe, from Greenside High School, is deputy junior mayor. Her speech silenced the pupils, as she reminded them that they were children of democracy, born having rights. "The voice of the youth sometimes seems to get dimmer and soon will fade away due to the lack of participation in government affairs," she said.
"Teenagers more often than not use their voices to fight one another, we fight for the glitz and glamour instead of fighting for a bright future … All we need is a bit of guidance and nurturing from our leaders and people who care about us. Just remember the voice of the youth is the voice of the future," Tshepe said.
And then it was the time for the junior mayor to speak in public for the first time. As Shongwe took to the podium, her schoolmates got to their feet, applauding. It was clear they were proud of having a junior mayor at their school.
She rose to the occasion with a speech that was direct and well written. Not only was she honoured to be elected to such a crucial role, but she was also humbled that so many people trusted her to deliver what was required of her. "I am the same girl who is faced with challenges that any other young person is faced with."
Explaining the objectives of the Johannesburg Student Council, Shongwe said: "The Student Council aims to raise awareness among the youth about governmental affairs. It provides a platform for young people to make their views known."
She added that she was the voice of the youth, saying that she spoke for the unspoken. Passionate about the future of the youth, especially with regards to crime, teenage pregnancies and self-esteem, the new junior mayor ended with a quote: "We cannot build a future for our youth but we can build our youth for the future."
The soft-spoken Ntingane then took the podium, admitting that after such a good speech from the junior mayor, it could only be challenging for her to raise the standard.
She explained that the City now had a voice to listen to and learn from - the voice of school learners. "It's not a voice of individuals, but the collective reasoned voice of a group of students who are representative of diverse school communities of Johannesburg."
The Student Council represented the city's geographic, socio-economic, ethnic and religious diversity.
Building the youth for the future: the vision of Joburg's Junior Mayor Thandeka Shongwe
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
"Success requires commitment, not only from students and your elected representatives but a partnership of learners, teachers, principals, community and council," Ntingane concluded.
Zandile Hadebe, the chairperson for safety on the Student Council, recited a poem and the Lancea Vale Secondary choir entertained the assembled guests.
The principals of the schools the 10 Student Council office bearers attend were also each given a gold-framed photograph taken at the launch in June of the new Student Council. They are Greenside High, Trinity Secondary, Thabo Secondary, Lancea Vale Secondary, Vulalindlela Secondary, King Edward VII, Raucall, Leshata Secondary and Ithemba Technical High.
Student Council officers are the junior mayor and her deputy, junior speaker and her deputy, community development, health, safety, youth, environment and transport chairpersons.
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