​The Executive Mayor, Geoff Makhubo has lamented the scourge of femicide in the country, noting it was a shame to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the Soweto uprisings with soaring cases of gender-based violence.

Makhubo led a wreath-laying ceremony at the Hector Pietersen Memorial and Museum in Orlando West on Tuesday, 16 June flanked by the portfolio head of Corporate and Shared Services, Loyiso Masuku, the MMC for Community Development, Margaret Arnolds and Eunice Mgcina, the MMC for Health and Social Development.

The Mayor says the killing of women and children is callous and betrays the gains of the struggle for liberation.

“We commemorate June 16, 44 years later with the shame of gender-based violence hanging over our country. We condemn in the strongest terms the violence against young women and children," he says.

He decries the use of violence against all vulnerable sectors of society, saying coming to the Hector Pieterson plaque signifies drawing strength from the class of 76 to heal society.

“We should be celebrating freedom together saying free at last, but it's not happening," says he says.

Makhubo adds that the City still has struggles it's waging, which stem from the past. “We are soldiering on in pursuit of broader freedoms around the economy and quality education, against inequality and joblessness. We draw strength from the past to map out the future," he explains.

June 16 is a public holiday commemorated as Youth Day. Each year on the day, homage is paid to the thousands of young people who sacrificed their lives by defying the apartheid government and rejecting Bantu education. Their actions unwittingly changed the course of South African history and intensified the struggle for liberation