Meet Kattie Michelle Banda who is currently studying towards Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at the University of Pretoria.

Kattie has been a beneficiary of the SASSETA bursary since her second year and cannot express how grateful she is for the opportunity, “With this bursary, I have been blessed with an opportunity to simply be a student and focus on excelling in my studies instead of carrying around the burden of funding my studies” she says.

● What does Youth Day mean to Kattie?

“Since primary school, Youth Day has been about wearing our school uniform to places other than school together with our mothers, aunts, and uncles, etc. However, looking at the events of the Soweto youth uprising on 16 June 1976, Youth Day means so much more than wearing school uniform. To me, the day is for us to not only celebrate the milestones made by young people in their careers and communities but also a day in which we reflect on how the 1976 contributed to the freedom we have today. We need to use our voices to fight injustices, poverty and corruption and ensure youth participation in the economy”.