By Johnathan Paoli
In the sixth edition of the 100 South African Shining Stars, 100 award winners were celebrated as a beacon of hope for the youth of South Africa who are driving change.
Inside Education Foundation Chairman Matuma Letsoalo welcomed the award winners and praised them for exemplifying the potential and impact of young individuals, who have taken their skills and sought to improve their communities.
“We celebrate you because you represent the best of the future of this country and our continent in all areas of society. The work that you do will unlock solutions to many challenges we face as a society,” Letsoalo told the event at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Letsoalo said the winners were selected from approximately 950 nominations from across the country.
He acknowledged that the location of the celebration was auspicious, since it was hosted in an area of Johannesburg that celebrated the arts, sciences and history of the country.
One of the biggest challenges remained unemployment, with Letsoalo praising the winners for attempting to uplift the youth and ensure job opportunities.
“You are a generation that has an opportunity to truly shape South African society. You are the planners, dreamers, thinkers, but most importantly the doers,” he said.
He said in compiling the special digital and print editions for the 100 South African Shining Stars 2024, many were asked about their future plans. Their answers gave a glimpse of what they believe must be done to grow the country.
Radio personality Thembekile Mrototo hosted the event and provided a personal account of his own experiences, thanking his single mother for insisting on a quality education, despite the challenges his family faced.
Mrototo stressed the importance of taking charge of one’s future, outlining his journey in establishing his media career.
“In the last eleven years, as it came together, had I not taken charge of my situation and reached out to people, I would not have been here. And that story is testament to the work you have all done,” he said.
Mrototo encouraged the Shining Stars to persist, even if the results were not immediately observable.
Delivering the keynote address, Tshwane University of Technology Associate Professor John Molepo described the event as a celebration of the collective youth attempting to transform South Africa.
“Tomorrow’s success is the result of the steps we take today. As young people, we are often told that we are the leaders of tomorrow. We are not the leaders of tomorrow; we are the leaders of today,” Molepo emphasised.
He praised the recipients as being proof of the power of the youth in addressing current challenges, saying decisions made today would echo for generations to come.
In the face of the ongoing obstacles, Molepo stressed the urgency of current times demanding young people rise to the occasion as active participants.
No action was insignificant, and it was up to collective action and a sense of community to see substantial transformation, Molepo told the event.
He said the youth possessed the tools to engage the complex issues the country was facing and urged the recipients to step forward with a sense of courage and duty.
“Every step we take will ensure the tomorrow we want. As we stand on the precipice of our future, let us build tomorrow today,” Molepo said.
“No matter how impossible your future might seem, determination and drive could ensure they become a reality.”
He advised them not to lose faith, stay hopeful and keep
Even in the face of adversity, Molepo urged the winners not to lose faith, stay hopeful and keep the spirit of perseverance alive.
“I encourage the Shining Stars to keep shining and to make this country a shining country,” Molepo said.
The 100 recipients were awarded under 12 categories, including education, philanthropy, health, civil society, science and technology, sports, politics and governance, business, arts and culture, environment, transport and tourism, and justice and law.
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