During his state of the nation address (Sona) on Thursday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the story of Tintswalo, a child born in 1994 who had grown up in a society that was worlds apart from the South Africa of her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.
Ramaphosa delivered the Sona ahead of national and provincial elections to be held later this year.
The president switched between the official languages when he said Tintswalo had been enrolled in a school for which her parents didn't have to pay fees. He also said that, with the help of the government, Tintswalo had been provided with a child support grant to meet her basic needs.
There have been mixed reactions to the story from many young South Africans born at the dawn of democracy.
Listen here to youth leaders:
It has been 30 years since South Africans voted in the country's first democratic elections.
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