{"id":158,"date":"2026-09-16T09:16:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T09:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/?p=158"},"modified":"2026-09-16T09:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T09:18:12","slug":"queen-noma-launches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/?p=158","title":{"rendered":"Philanthropist Queen Noma Launches Anti-Pens Down Campaign to Keep Learners Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Mathipa Phishego<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Inside Out News)<\/a><\/em><\/strong> Entrepreneur, musician and philanthropist Dr Noma Mbeki, popularly known as Queen Noma, is launching an Anti-Pens Down<\/a> Campaign aimed at encouraging learners to celebrate the end of their examinations without putting their lives and futures at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The campaign will officially launch on Friday, September 18, 2026, at the Old Coca-Cola Building in Unit 3, Mdantsane, East London, under the message: \u201cIt is your future, OWN it, don\u2019t WASTE it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative comes amid continued concerns about unsafe pens-down celebrations, particularly those involving alcohol, drugs, violence and other risks facing minors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Poster speaking to the anti-pens down campaign<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Queen Noma Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pens-down events traditionally mark the end of examinations, especially for matric learners, offering young people an opportunity to celebrate after months of studying. However, some gatherings take place without adequate supervision or safety measures, potentially exposing learners to serious harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue received national attention following the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy in Scenery Park, East London, in June 2022, when 21 young people between the ages of 13 and 17 died. The South African Human Rights Commission subsequently investigated the tragedy and raised broader concerns about underage drinking and the protection of young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research cited in support of the campaign has also highlighted the scale of alcohol exposure among adolescents. A Human Sciences Research Council study involving 3,518 adolescents aged between 11 and 18 in low-resource townships found that 67% had consumed alcohol, with many reporting their first drink at around 13 or 14 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The campaign is intended to shift the conversation from simply warning young people against dangerous behaviour to creating safer ways for them to celebrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fundamental purpose of this campaign is to raise critical awareness around the incredibly sensitive and heartbreaking issue of our children losing their lives or killing one another during these unregulated pens down celebrations,\u201d said Mbeki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe cannot stand by while bright futures are cut short in a single night. Through the power of music, mentorship, and collective public action, we want our youth to know their worth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entertainment of the launch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The campaign will coincide with the release of Queen Noma\u2019s new single, \u201cCount Your Blessings\u201d, featuring Amapiano DJ and producer DJ Maphorisa and actor and musician Nay Maps. Maps will also serve as the master of ceremonies at the launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the foundation, the song and its accompanying music video will form part of its effort to communicate with young people through music and entertainment rather than relying solely on conventional awareness messaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The song focuses on gratitude, appreciating personal progress and recognising future opportunities themes that align with the campaign\u2019s message. The launch will also include youth dialogues and a live campaign address, giving learners an opportunity to engage with issues affecting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dr Noma Mbeki Foundation says more than 1,000 learners are expected to attend the launch, with transport, hosting and other arrangements being provided as part of the initiative. The event has also received support from community and church stakeholders, including Thrive Community Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foundation says the campaign will bring together learners, parents, community leaders, education stakeholders and other partners around the shared responsibility of protecting young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mbeki said parents and guardians should also be part of conversations about safe celebrations. \u201cParents should not have to choose between allowing their children to celebrate and being afraid for their safety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She encouraged parents to communicate openly with their children, know where they are going and who they will be with, and ensure that there is a safe plan for getting home. The campaign ultimately seeks to reinforce the idea that completing school examinations should mark the beginning of another chapter rather than a moment that puts a young person\u2019s future at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope people remember that our young people are worth protecting. We can celebrate, dance, make memories and enjoy our achievements without putting our lives at risk.\u201d Mbeki said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dr Noma Mbeki Foundation describes itself as a non-profit organisation focused on social development, youth empowerment and advocacy for safer educational environments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mathipa Phishego (Inside Out News) Entrepreneur, musician and philanthropist Dr Noma Mbeki, popularly known as Queen Noma, is launching…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[87,88,89,85,86],"class_list":["post-158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-south-africa","category-uncategorized","tag-anti-pens-down","tag-launch","tag-learners-safety","tag-noma-queen","tag-philanthropist-dr-noma-mbeki"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=158"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions\/161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}