#YouthMonth: Striving for equity - Linda Shwana

Linda Shwana, candidate attorney at Herold Gie Attorneys

Given the financial circumstances of families in the township, Shwana explains that many of them pursue a career in the customer care space or retail. But that wasn't the life she wanted to lead. "I decided at a very young age, after seeing a programme on SABC 1 called Sokhulu and Partners that I wanted to do something different. The programme inspired me for various reasons but most of all because the characters I saw arguing on my TV screen were black and some were female, like me.

"The Gugulethu township is one of the crime-hotspots of the Western Cape and I wanted to play a small part in assisting people who have been victims of crime in the area. While my reasons for finding interest in the law have changed considerably over the years, I do believe that my current interests are still aligned with ensuring that those with dominance in a community (financial etc.) follow strict guidelines and regulations so as not to abuse their position to the detriment of the economically disadvantaged or those with limited legal knowledge."

With her inquiring mind and thirst for knowledge, Shwana attended the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls before heading back to the Cape, where she obtained her LLB from Stellenbosch University. She is now a candidate attorney in her second year with Herold Gie Attorneys.

Here, Shwana talks to us about being a proud Black woman with the freedom to speak her mind, and the importance of youth to remain involved in the struggle that has shifted from equality to equity.

What is the significance of Youth Day to you, as a young attorney?

The youth of 1976 cannot be celebrated enough for their bravery in taking a stand against the system of education which they strongly believed was not to their benefit. The significance of their bravery therefore for me is that I was able to choose a system of higher education which I strongly believed would best enable me to pursue my aspiration of becoming an attorney one day.

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What does it mean to you to be ‘born-free’?

To be born-free means to be able to be black and to be proud of it. To have the choice between boldly wearing my hair in an afro, or to use straightening products. To be able to occupy the same spaces as my white counterparts. To freely voice my opinions, be they in support of or against the view of my white counterparts without fear of retribution.

What do you feel is the most important right young people have today?

Free speech. The youth of today, is much like the youth of 1976, an incredibly strong willed and opinionated bunch. To therefore have the freedom to speak our minds is important to every young person in South Africa.

What is one of the liberties you are grateful for today that weren't available to - or were hard-won by - earlier generations?

The ability to take up space and my freedom of movement.

Why is it so important for the youth of today to get involved in societal change?

Youth are crucial for change; the 1976 uprising is only but one example of that. The issues which affect the youth are different to those affecting older generations. It is important for youth to be involved in discussions and to engage in active citizenry through casting their votes etc, to influence public opinion and ensure policies that are implemented are reflective of the needs and views of the young population.

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Older generations often comment that the youth today "have it easy", but it's not necessarily true. What are some of the challenges youth are currently experiencing that other generations might not understand?

The challenges faced by the youth are different to those faced by the older generation and many would even say the problems of the current youth are "first world" problems.

The atrocities inflicted by the founders and supporters of the apartheid regime can never be downplayed, accordingly when speaking in a sociopolitical landscape/context, then indeed the problems of today are different to the problems of yesteryear. However, the problems the youth face today are not insignificant as it is now when the legacy of apartheid is truly starting to rear its ugly head.

We see it in the socioeconomic conditions people, mostly Black and Coloured must live in. With the advent of democracy, terms such as equality were used extensively because the issue with the system was the disparity in treatment between people based on the colour of their skin. The uprisings were to dismantle the system of inequality.

Now, however, it is clear that to achieve the equality, which was hard fought for, policies need to centre on equity - a term or state which is greatly contentious in South Africa and difficult to conceptualise for various people, and which the youth are the focused on achieving.

Share one piece of advice given to you by an elder...

Take every opportunity presented to you and run with it.