Mduduzi Mabena, 14, is growing up in a township in Johannesburg. He knows exactly what kind of reality children in South Africa are currently facing.
“I know what it feels like. Some of you wake up before sunrise to walk 5km to school. Some of you do homework by candlelight because there is no electricity. And some of you are the first in the family to think about completing matric.”
He shared these experiences while addressing 162 learners and stakeholders at a school-safety initiative in Sandton, Johannesburg.
The ceremony celebrated Mabena’s appointment as a Junior Commissioner in the 'Safer Schools' campaign, a youth leadership role focused on advocating for safer school environments. It is a collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) and the BrightSpark Foundation. Its aim is to create safer learning environments by addressing critical issues such as bullying, violence, substance abuse, intimidation, and gang activity within schools and surrounding communities.
Held at Henley Business School Africa’s campus in Johannesburg, the initiative provided context to the latest statistics that show that youth unemployment is up to 60,9% in the first quarter of 2026. But millions of children are dropping out of school and don’t complete formal education.
The Junior Commissioners programme operates at school, district, and provincial levels, creating a structured platform through which learners can represent the concerns and lived experiences of their peers while working alongside adults to develop proactive safety solutions.
“We have seen crime statistics showing Gauteng among the provinces most affected by school-related crime. This campaign allows police and education officials to create joint plans for safer learning environments,” says Director Sifiso Ngobese from the National Department of Basic Education
The Junior Commissioner’s programme identifies school children, many of whom are at risk themselves, and gives them leadership training as well as mentorship and guidance, turning them into ambassadors and advocates for safety in their communities.
The 'Safer Schools' campaign kicked off in 2023 and the founder of BrightSpark Foundation, Welcome Witbooi says it turns around the lives of promising young children who might have fallen through the cracks, while empowering them to again help others.
“A majority of these children were facing futures of dropping out of school, being arrested for drug dealing and likely ending up in jail. We catch them and show them a way of staying in school and helping them stay alive and get an education,” says Witbooi, himself a reformed former gangster who has stepped away from a life of crime, gaining tertiary education and now trying to help others as well.
Jon Foster-Pedley, dean and director of Henley Business School Africa believes reaching young children early is vital to turning around South Africa’s youth unemployment statistics. “Education is our vocation, our service. Supporting young people changing their lives and offering opportunity where we can is what drives us.”
Mabena echoed these statements in his speech at his Living Commissioners welcoming ceremony.
“To to the learner who thinks nobody from my township makes it. I did. To the learner who thinks my parents didn’t go to school so I won’t either, to the learner who thinks I missed one year, it’s over for me. I say, it’s not over until you decide it’s over.”