Constitutionalism in Action
Where We Come From, Where We Stand
24-25 JUNE 2026
Closed session
Constitution Hill, Johannesburg
1976@50 Youth Summit on the Hill
Constitutionalism in Action: Youth Shaping the Next 30 Years
The 1976@50 Youth Summit on the Hill is a flagship two-day Youth Month convening hosted by WeThePeopleSA in partnership with Constitution Hill Development Company and the Seth Mazibuko Foundation.
Taking place at Constitution Hill as part of the 2026 Basha Uhuru Freedom Festival, the summit brings together young leaders, activists, students, organisers, educators and civil society representatives for two days of constitutional literacy, intergenerational dialogue, civic participation and action.
Positioned immediately after the June 16 commemorations, the summit moves beyond remembrance. It connects the legacy of the 1976 generation to the responsibilities facing young people in contemporary South Africa.
CLOSED SESSIONS
Constitutionalism in Action
Under the theme “Constitutionalism in Action: Youth Shaping the Next 30 Years”, the summit asks what it means for young people to inherit South Africa’s constitutional democracy — and how they can actively shape its future.
The summit responds to urgent challenges facing South Africa’s democracy, including low constitutional literacy, declining civic trust, youth exclusion from decision-making spaces, inequality, unemployment and weak intergenerational engagement between liberation history and contemporary youth struggles.
It seeks to reposition young people not only as beneficiaries of democracy, but as active custodians, participants and builders of South Africa’s constitutional future.
Why This Summit Matters
Thirty-two years into democracy, South Africa faces a critical paradox.
Young people inherit one of the world’s most progressive constitutions, while many continue to live with acute inequality, unemployment and democratic disillusionment.
At the same time, young people are not passive. Across the country, they continue to organise, mobilise and create change through climate justice, education activism, gender equity, community organising, entrepreneurship and civic action.
The 1976@50 Youth Summit on the Hill bridges these realities by bringing historical memory into conversation with constitutional values and practical democratic participation.
It honours the radical courage of 1976 by asking how that courage can be carried into the next 30 years.
Day 1: Where We Come From, Where We Stand
Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Day 1 focuses on memory, history, reflection and intergenerational dialogue.
Participants will engage with the making of the Constitution, hear from key voices across generations, take part in guided Constitution Hill heritage tours, and join facilitated reflection circles on the future of constitutionalism.
Programme
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Day 2: What Must Be Done
Thursday, 25 June 2026
Day 2 turns reflection into action.
Participants will take part in practical skills labs, issue-based dialogues and democratic participation sessions designed to support young people in building tools for civic engagement.
Programme
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Day 2 Closing Session
The afternoon programme includes Making the Constitution Real: Deepening Democratic Participation, a screening of 490 Project Videos, and a session with Justice Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, Acting Constitutional Court Judge.
The summit closes with the plenary Youth Shaping the Next 30 Years, the launch of the Youth Summit Network, a WhatsApp group and a group picture.
Mbali Baduza
Human rights lawyer and CEO of WeThePeopleSA, focused on civic education, constitutional literacy and strengthening public understanding of the Constitution.
Mankone Ntsaba
Chairperson of Kagiso Trust, with experience in governance, development programmes, consulting, water and sanitation, and community development.
Justice Jody Kollapen
Constitutional Court Justice and former head of the South African Human Rights Commission, with a long career in human rights law and public interest justice.
Sandile Seth Mazibuko
Educationist, liberation-history custodian and founder of the Seth Mazibuko Foundation. He was one of the young student leaders of the 1976 Soweto uprising.
Kamogelo Malikane
Junior Mayor of Johannesburg and award-winning public speaker, recognised for youth leadership, debating, civic engagement and national public speaking achievements.
Mbali Ntuli
Social entrepreneur, education advocate and founder of Groundwork Collective, working to strengthen civic education, youth participation and democratic culture.
Lisa Silwana
Youth activist, community developer, entrepreneur and human rights defender working across youth development, gender equality, leadership, education and social justice.
Mmagauta A Molefe
Political activist, Black Consciousness veteran and women’s rights organiser whose work spans anti-apartheid activism, adult literacy, community development and heritage preservation.
Nobuhle Dube
Engagement Coordinator at Amnesty International South Africa, focused on youth empowerment, human rights advocacy and civic engagement across university networks.
Sandile Soxokashe
Community organiser and civic activist from Bekkersdal, and founder of Be The Future Foundation, focused on youth advocacy, environmental justice and local accountability.
Buhlebethu Magwaza
Project Lead at Youth Capital, working on youth unemployment, economic inclusion, public policy and ensuring young people help shape the systems meant to support them.
Phenyo Sekati
Candidate Legal Practitioner at Power & Associates, with interests in human rights, digital rights, equality, inclusion, child law and public international law.
Itumeleng Mothlabane
Social justice activist and General Secretary of Equal Education, working to advance education justice, democratic participation, equity and community development.
Gauta Mashego
Candidate attorney in SECTION27’s Health Rights Programme, using the law to advance social justice, health rights and meaningful public-interest change.
Tshegofatso Phala
Public interest lawyer and Executive Director with experience in litigation, movement lawyering, constitutional democracy and rights-based advocacy.
Vuyolwethu Tswelekile
Community Engagement Officer and human rights activist committed to education justice, grassroots mobilisation and empowering communities through advocacy and legal support.
Tessa Dooms
Director at Rivonia Circle, sociologist, author and political analyst committed to democratic renewal, social change and reimagining South Africa’s future.
Tembeka Ngcukaitobi
Lawyer, legal scholar and advocate with expertise in constitutional law, public law, land reform and democratic participation.
Obakeng Kgatshe
Youth Leadership and Activism Programme Manager at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, working to mobilise young people through civic education and community action.
