Thank you, Madam Speaker, Ministers and their Deputies, fellow MPs and members of the public.
Maqabane, lutsha lwakuthi eMzantsi Afrika luphelele - nditsho iintlanga zonke ngobuninzi bazo - xa sisondela ekubhiyozeleni i-100 leminyaka ekho uKhongolozi, kunye nengama-32 sibhiyozela uSuku loLutsha, makhe sijonge, siphicothe ukuba ulutsha olu, umbuso kunye noluntu lwenza ntoni ukukhe lududule luxhentsise ulutsha ukwenzela ukuba lube kwinqanaba lokuba lube nenkathalo kwaye luqiniseke ngobuntu balo.
Bathi ke: "Umthi ugotywa usemtsha." (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Comrades, youth of South Africa - I refer to all people of racial groups that are here - as we approach the 100 years celebration since the ANC was established, and 32 years of celebrating Youth Day, let us examine and explore what the organisation and the community have done to keep the youth occupied in order to become responsible and feel proud about their humanity.
An old saying goes: "Teach them young."]
Any creative practitioner of an ideology will target youth as an integral part of sustaining that ideology throughout generations and millennia. However, it is only a supreme ideology that stands the test of time. As we all know, most organisations have youth wings to fulfil these needs.
Uthi umntu: "Izikumkani ziya kubhanga zitsho zife"... [The saying goes: "Even kingdoms will fall and perish one day ...]
... but an ideology of the highest development, built on humanity's best values, will prevail. It is such an ideology that then generates genuine and everlasting patriotism. It brings peace and prosperity to each country, as well as nation-building.
While advancing a case for patriotic youth, my concern is about the role and impact of various agents of socialisation, especially the media. A substantial portion of the content that is beamed out by the SABC is definitely not conducive to efforts that foster patriotism. It is a very minute number of programmes that can be identified as being well-disposed to productively building a young mind and therefore preparing it for nation- building.
Madam Speaker, 16 June was also a manifestation of selfless devotion, sacrifice without expecting material reward, and above all, a bedrock of genuine patriotism. The youth of 1976 were prepared to die for a cause that would last and benefit later generations.
Madiba, as the first champion of a rainbow South Africa, had this to say in this very Parliament on 6 February 1998:
To find a lasting solution to all these challenges requires a community spirit amongst all of us - a new patriotism, which finds root within the populace. We must build our nation into a community of citizens who appreciate their civic duty as each one of us improves our well-being.
However, at times we need to ask ourselves the extent to which the dominant value system in our country either adds value to or unfortunately undermines the noble efforts of conscientising the youth on various issues such as HIV/Aids, mobilising the youth into active participation in the transformation of our country and building a prosperous Africa and a new world order, just to name a few.
At any stage of societal development, the morality of society is always a function of both political and ideological consciousness. Comrade Castro once said, and I quote:
But our work is not a work of stone, is not of materials, but of consciousness, of moral values. And that is lasting. We need youth that are internationalist in their outlook and conduct, because internationalism is also about caring for our neighbours, including children, the elderly, those who are fragile, and all who may be of foreign origin.
What is then expected of the youth? At its 22nd national conference in 2004, the ANC Youth League resolved to -
... create a volunteer youth corps to build a spirit of volunteerism and patriotism in South Africa, especially in the run up to World Cup 2010.
Appreciating the legacy of caring about others through volunteerism, as has been championed by our leaders, ought to be one of the prime objectives for the youth in its campaigns for a better life for all.
What is expected of the youth, irrespective of race, colour, creed or political affiliation, is to respond to this call in large numbers. Let us use this opportunity for the youth to discover itself as leaders as well as citizens of the future.
Challenges that face our country when it comes to preparing the youth for a caring society are, among other things, degenerate values as espoused through decadent movies, sexual perversion, consumerism which is propelled by materialistic values, racism and xenophobia and practices that take advantage and exploit the labour of the youth due to their desperation for jobs.
How do we then, as the state and civil society, create an enabling environment for the youth's participation in building a caring society and renewing humanity's best values?
Both state and progressive civil society - and I emphasise progressive civil society - are waging a raging battle to create the correct environment for the youth to be shaped as patriotic citizens. Given that socialisation and even resocialisation is never politically neutral, South Africa faces the challenge of ensuring that the content and character of the information communicated, through primarily the SABC and printed media, embodies patriotism. For patriotism to thrive amongst the youth in South Africa, whatever initiative, campaign or effort is mounted to promote it, due sensitivity to diversity of cultures is of paramount importance.
Given that our country has made strides in caring for the disabled within such a short time, the UN has decided to pilot the implementation of its Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, here in South Africa. Such a decision could not have been taken lightly, and the youth, in particular, has all the energy to drive the pilot programme to a resounding success. Throughout our revolution, the youth, under the banner of the ANC, through the guidance of the Youth League and allied organisations, has always replenished the leadership echelons.
Morality, as well as its generation, extends beyond mere respect for the elderly; it means respect for nature, the air we breathe and the water we drink. It means respect for life itself.
There is a symbiotic relationship between patriotism and humanity's best values. We South Africans have ably captured this in the Bill of Rights. It is high time we ensure that every time we celebrate 16 June, Youth Day, we also advance this noble cause.
Thank you, hon member, I realise that we might be facing National Assembly debate fatigue. Earlier on the Speaker was referred to as "Chairperson", now the Chairperson is referred to as "Madam Speaker". [Laughter.]
Chairperson, hon members, the topic of today's debate is indeed an apt one: Youth in action to build a caring society and renew humanity's best values. A caring society is an ideal many hon members, no doubt, sincerely aim to bring about, but in reality it is not something we are achieving. In fact, we are perhaps not making too much progress at all. And yes, a caring society is linked intricately to the second part of the debate topic, "renew humanity's best values", for if one has to genuinely care about others, one has to have empathy for those people who are vulnerable, and one needs a vision of a better place, if a caring society is to be achieved.
On Youth Day each year we pay tribute to the brave youths of 1976 who stood up against an oppressive government. Many lost their lives, most lost their innocence. It was a time of great idealism. Youth had a vision of the type of society that they wanted to live in and they had dreams about what they as individuals wanted to achieve. But Youth Day is also an opportunity to look at the state of the youth today. The picture is a mixed one. There are successes, but it is my contention that the idealism of youth has been lost.
It is the age group of young adults that have been left behind in our country. For many, if not the majority, the society they live in is not a caring one and one is reminded about this each waking hour of the day. Finding a job is a difficult prospect when the competition for limited opportunities is so fierce.
It is compounded when one lacks practical skills or the benefits of a quality education. It is made worse when one's family is poverty stricken and cannot support itself on the meagre grant it receives. It is heightened when you are afflicted by a communicable disease that was entirely avoidable and potentially treatable, but the public health care system cannot offer the individual care you require. It is escalated when one lives in fear of being attacked in one's own community by thugs who are caught up in the very cycle of hopelessness that you are.
It is no coincidence that a large number of the people that committed violent acts against foreigners recently were young people. There is no excuse for what they did, but one cannot but wonder whether a sense of frustration or helplessness, in the face of a society that has not thrown up the opportunities that young people so desire, drove much of this xenophobia.
It must certainly be a driver of crime in general, as youth who lose respect for themselves lose respect for the sovereignty of others in society. It is probably a driver of the risky sexual behaviour at the heart of our Aids pandemic, because many young people cannot envision for themselves a life of promise in their future.
The situation is bleak, but it can be turned around. A caring society is one that provides opportunities for all its people. It makes provision for those people who are most vulnerable to ensure that no one is left behind. It allows ordinary citizens to articulate what they want to achieve in their own lives without the state telling them what they can or cannot achieve.
Regaining the activism of 1976 is a necessity for South Africa today. If citizens do not have hope, then as a country we will never reach our full potential and we most certainly will not overcome the issue of race which pervades every aspect of society and often holds us back.
In order to reignite the idealism and engender new hope we need to create work opportunities for young people. The removal of the barriers to youth employment, effectively created by employment legislation that protects those who already have jobs, must be aggressively attacked. It is a reality that employers are often reluctant to hire young people. Besides the fact that young people may not have the skills, it is the prospect of not being able to dismiss the young people if they prove to be poor at their jobs that often dissuades employers from hiring them.
It is time to re-examine ideas around a dual labour market and special entry wages for young people that will allow employment in this demographic of the economy to flourish. It does not have to been seen as a threat to those currently in employment. We all stand to gain as a society when we all feel as if we have something to contribute to society. Let the state provide the regulations and let the market deliver the jobs.
And let the state redouble its efforts at investment in human capital. Nobel Prize winner, Michael Spence, speaking in South Africa this week about how to achieve sustained economic success, underscored the importance of developing human capital. He noted that early childhood malnutrition produces a near permanent reduction in children's ability to acquire cognitive and noncognitive skills, and that if this was widespread, it was a constraint on growth.
The state must redouble its efforts at ensuring that the health of young people is not compromised because even if opportunities do exist in the economy, an individual is not able to truly seize an opportunity if afflicted by ill health.
Lastly, reigniting hope is crucial to ending the brain drain. It is hard enough trying to impart new skills to young people. We cannot afford to lose these skills once they are developed. When this happens we all lose.
This week a close friend of mine in Durban, Tim, a qualified accountant who works in the banking sector, announced that he and his wife and young child were leaving for Australia in late July. I have not had time to quiz him on why he is leaving. The reasons why people are leaving are often intensely personal and none of us should be judgmental about it. It normally has nothing to do with a lack of love for our country or its people. It usually has something to do with whether one can see a place for oneself in the future, and whether the society you live in is safe, respects your individuality and promises to provide new opportunities. I am sad he is leaving, as I am sad about everyone who leaves this country of great prospects. Let's reignite the hope. Let's recreate the idealism. Let's make the caring society so often glibly referred to in this House a reality. I thank you. [Applause.]
Thank you, hon member. I don't know why the hon member did not mention it himself, but I am informed that the hon Morgan will be running in the Comrades Marathon this weekend. [Applause.] We wish him well, together with other MPs who are also participating in this event.
Chairperson, colleagues, today I stand before you to pay homage to the many who sacrificed their lives in the June 16 uprising. We have to ensure that our democracy is embraced and nurtured by both young and old as we all want to leave a legacy behind.
The youth are not interested in how many pieces of legislation we pass, they are interested in deliverables. The IFP believes it is time to embrace the values of ubuntu, tolerance, unity in diversity and respect for human rights. Mahatma Ghandi called it non-violence or "Satyagraha". Our Constitution is founded on it, on human dignity.
My colleague, the hon John Bhengu, has written an entire book on ubuntu and today I would like to quote from his book. He says:
We live in an age of cultural disarray and cultural decay. An age filled with ruins and fragments of morality, therefore, our intellectual landscapes are littered with allegorical tales of deterioration, rather that the dramatic narratives of reconciliation.
Many members in the course of this week have spoken about the challenges facing the youth, but 1976 and 2008 speak of two very different eras. In 1976 the youth were at the vanguard of the liberation struggle. In 2008 we see an African refugee being sacrificed and we also see the youth turning to crime and substance abuse.
In 1976 the youth were the pride of the nation. In 2008 the youth are consumed by greed and materialism. In 1976 the youth sacrificed education for liberation, but where does it all start? It begins with nurturing, internalising values, a value system that is not legislated upon, turning it into some kind of ideology; like apartheid.
The world desperately needs activism. We need agitators of change, equality, peace and freedom. We should not practise a smorgasbord of diplomacy in which we pick and choose when we want to do the right thing. Today we have become a totally inclusive parliament, a mosaic of different race groups, cultural and linguistic groups, all held together by the common thread of wanting to do good. I'm running out of time so quickly! In conclusion, to paraphrase Dr Martin Luther King:
The youth must not be the thermometers that record and register the temperature of society, but thermostats that transform and regulate society. Most importantly; to instil in youth the right values.
I just feel that values are the shield that you carry with you throughout life. It protects you from whatever life throws at you. So let us reclaim the spirit of ubuntu. It is the essence of our Africanness.
Today, despite the growing recognition of their needs, young people in many parts of the world continue to be marginalised and ignored. Their status as a group which is experiencing disproportionate levels of poverty and unemployment is frequently overlooked. As a result the youth are three times more likely than adults to lack jobs. Today let us go back, hand in hand, and reclaim the spirit of ubuntu. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon members, more than 30 years after the youth of South Africa took to the streets to defy the apartheid regime and face the guards and armoured vehicles, our country has changed significantly.
The old order was shaken to its core by this mass display of disaffection and it laid the foundations for the mass protests that gained momentum during the 80s, until eventually the apartheid regime had to acknowledge that it could not oppress millions when they resisted this oppression as a collective.
The youth of that generation are now the leaders of today and under their guidance the country has shaken off the shackles of that terrible past. We have moved, in these three decades, from that totalitarian dispensation to a democracy founded on one of the most outstanding constitutions in the world. The entire dispensation is built upon the recognition of the inherent dignity of each person and the whole set of basic human rights that flow from that assertion.
When we look at it in that context, we can say that for the generation of 1976 the promise of democracy has been fulfilled, that the new South Africa has indeed delivered what they dreamt of. But recently, during the xenophobic violence and more generally in the past few years, we have witnessed violent protests in many communities across the country.
One of the most noticeable aspects of these protests has been the prominence of our youth in these activities. While the youth of 1976 may feel that democracy has delivered for them, many of the youth of 2008 do not feel the same. It points to a deep sense of marginalisation and exclusion that pervades many of our communities and fills the youth with hopelessness and frustration.
It is our duty to ask how it can be that 14 years of freedom could have given rise to such a widespread disenchantment among the youth. In 1976 the youth rose up to demand political freedom and in 2008 the youth are again stirring, this time to demand economic freedom.
Once again education is at the heart of the matter and again under the spotlight is government's failure to provide a proper education and the conditions for that education to be translated into a decent livelihood. We ignore these warning signs at our own peril. I thank you.
Chair, I am just guessing, but could it be that recent reports of youths being the main perpetrators of violent attacks on foreign nationals have somehow inspired this Youth Day topic?
Now, in view of the considerable resentment expressed by South Africans in affected communities towards foreign nationals, because they are seen to be taking jobs or because they have been successful entrepreneurs, findings contained in a recent survey on entrepreneurship among youth, are of specific interest.
Did you know that most South African youths believe it is government's responsibility to provide them with work, according to the annual University of Cape Town Global Entrepreneurship Monitor study and that nearly a third of respondents said they would definitely not accept a low- paying job and would rather be unemployed? These trends do not bode well for entrepreneurship or the labour market and perhaps have other even more worrying implications.
Faith in entrepreneurship is particularly low among black and coloured youth, as there is a low level of innovation and many who do get involved in businesses make or sell the same things as others. Limited access to capital is a major deterrent, but social factors such as crime are the biggest stumbling blocks. About 76% of respondents in the Western Cape and 68% of respondents in Gauteng felt that starting a business was just too risky; that they would get robbed or mugged and their efforts would be wasted. Another drawback is drug abuse.
The report urges government to establish an integrated model to help youth entrepreneurship in South Africa and the ACDP supports this call. When our young people catch the vision and begin to succeed as entrepreneurs, this youth in action will be better placed to build a caring society. The ACDP further calls for this integrated plan to include instruction on the value of moral values based on solid, proven principles. Thank you. [Applause.]
Sihlalo namalungu ahloniphekileyo, ndibulela ithuba lokuba ndibe ngomnye wabachongiweyo ukuza kuthetha apha namhlanje, xa sikhumbula indima eyabanjwa lulutsha lowe-1976. Namhlanje sikhumbula amagorha namagorhakazi athi anikela ngempilo yawo ukuze mna nawe singcamle le nkululeko siyingcamlayo namhlanje.
Namhlanje yiminyaka engama-32 esi siganeko senzekayo. Sihlangene namhlanje sikhumbula amadoda neentokazi ezathabatha isigqibo sokuba aziyi kuphinda siphile ngaphantsi kwengcinezelo, kwaye azisoze zavumela impilo yezizukulwana ezilandelayo idotyolelwe phantsi lucalu-calulo.
Ulutsha lowama-'76 lwalusazi mhlophe ukuba lunoxanduva lokuzakhela ikamva. Zazininzi izinto ababengazenza njengolutsha, kodwa bakhetha ukulwa nengcinezelo ukuze kwakhiwe isizwe esikhululekileyo nesingacaluliyo ngokwebala. Kungenxa yesibindi nentshisekelo yala maqhawe ukuze sibe namhlanje siphila kwisizwe esikhululekileyo.
Xa namhlanje sikhumbula la maqhawe, kubalulekile ukuba sikhe sibheke apho siphuma khona ukuze sikwazi ukuhlahla indlela eya phambili. Siphuma kwixesha apho iimfuno zolutsha zazingahoywanga ngurhulumente wocalu-calulo, apho ulutsha lwaluthathwa njengezaphuselane ezingenakamva. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Ms N N SIBHIDLA: Chairperson and hon members, let me thank you for this opportunity I have been given to make a presentation here today, when we remember the role played by the youth of 1976. Today we remember heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives to bring about the freedom that we have today.
It is now 32 years since this event took place. We have gathered here today to remember young men and women who took a decision that they would never remain under oppression, and would not allow the lives of the next generation to be oppressed by the apartheid regime either.
The youth of 1976 knew exactly what their responsibility was to build their future. There were many things that the youth could have done, but they decided to fight against oppression so that they could build a free country which did not discriminate in terms of colour. It is because of the courage and zeal of those heroes that we live in a free country today.
When we remember those heroes today, it is important that we consider our past, in order to be able to move forward. We come from the days where the interests of the youth were not being considered by the apartheid regime. The youth were regarded as hooligans who had no future.]
Yingakho sizithola sikulezi zinkinga esikuzo namuhla uma sikhuluma ngentuthuko yabantu abasha. [That is why we find ourselves in the situation that we are facing today when we talk about youth development.]
The year of 1994 and the freedom it ushered in was not a miracle, as some have alleged, but the culmination of years of a difficult struggle by the people of our country for whom many paid the ultimate price when their lives were brutally cut short by the apartheid regime.
Freedom comes with responsibility. It is for this reason that, despite the difficulties we faced as a people in confronting decades of systematic marginalisation, we - unlike some destroyers and pessimists - have not lost faith in the ability of the African to not only earn his or her freedom, but also to make use of it to realise economic empowerment.
Decades ago our people gathered to establish an historic movement of the African people to act as their rallying point and platform from which to transform the country, so that it becomes a home to all who live in it; and that the rights of citizenship are not skewed to serve the interests of the few.
Since 1994 the ANC government has established institutions that would consolidate this freedom and reverse the effects of institutional discrimination. Accordingly, various pieces of legislation have been passed and various institutions have been established.
As we celebrate Youth Month, we celebrate an organised, systematic articulation of the challenges faced by our people over time and how best to resolve those challenges. Over time, even those who were indifferent to the ideals of the Freedom Charter today agree that this remains the noblest document to have ever emerged during the dark days of political oppression.
In essence, what the Freedom Charter stood for was to ensure that all our people, irrespective of race or gender, live in dignity and this is further articulated in the Constitution of the Republic.
However, some have used the poverty of our people as an injunction against the ANC government and have attempted to make a lie out of the truth that decades of marginalisation have not only created poverty but, indeed, have also distorted the economy along racial lines, so that the poverty problems are self-perpetuating. This lie, at its highest stage, seeks to mobilise our people, and our youth in particular, against the ANC-led transformation agenda and to defeat our revolution by blaming the ANC government for the legacy of apartheid.
Having understood the epoch of our political freedom, we have never promised our people an easy victory. We have noted that those who stand to lose from transformation have spread all sorts of lies in order to undermine this very transformation agenda; their primary aim being to preserve the ill-gained apartheid wealth disparities.
We know too well that it will take a lot of effort to reverse the effects of decades of apartheid misrule and usher in a social, economic and political dispensation as explained by the Freedom Charter.
While we note the socioeconomic circumstances around which crime and HIV occur amongst the South African population, we have always insisted that the main challenge of our people, and that of the youth in particular, is to ensure their economic participation through job creation and entrepreneurship schemes.
The National Youth Policy Review Convention held in 2006 acknowledged the reality of the past and the challenges of the future and accordingly made various resolutions that explained this and further showed the way forward. This National Youth Convention is a confirmation that our youth are very much politically conscious and are ready to continue playing their critical role in ensuring that the opportunities of democracy make economic sense to all our people.
We believe that the resolve to implement an integrated youth development strategy will assist to clarify, once and for all, how the various efforts to develop our youth may find synergy and ensure effective redress of their general marginalisation. This, in itself, will go a long way towards realising the ideals of the Freedom Charter. The ANC conference reaffirmed the view of the young people that we need to move with speed to establish a structure that will be empowered to implement this integrated strategy - the National Youth Development Agency.
Lolu hlelo Somlomo luzana ukuhlanganisa zonke izinhlaka zikahulumeni ukuze sikwazi ukubhekana ngqo nezidingo zentsha, okungaba yizidingo eziqondene nezemfundo, eziqondene nokubamba iqhaza ekuthuthukisweni kwezomnotho, impilo yabantu ngokubanzi. Ngakho-ke sinxusa uhulumeni nehhovisi likaMongameli ukuthi benze isiqinisekiso sokuthi lo nyaka awupheli singakhiwanga isikhungo esisha esiyobizwa ngokuthi yi-National Youth Development Agency.
Kumele kubuyekezwe uhlelo olubizwa ngokuthi yi-National Youth Service Programme. Lolu hlelo Sihlalo lwalakhelwe ukuthi silekelele isizwe ekubumbeni izimilo zentsha, kuqeqeshwe intsha emakhonweni ahlukene luphinde luvulele intsha amathuba emisebenzi. Esikubona kwenzeka njengamanje Sihlalo kwehluke kakhulu kulokhu lolu hlelo olwalakhelwe khona.
Ngakho-ke sinxusa Ihhovisi lePhini likaMongameli wezwe ukuthi lihlale phansi nazo zonke izakhiwo ezibhekele ukuthi kuqalwe ngalolu hlelo ukwenzela ukuthi sibone ukuthi singabuyela kanjani ezinjongweni ezazakhelwe lona lolu hlelo. Ziningi ezinye izinhlelo uhulumeni wethu athe wazakha ekubhekaneni ngqo nezidingo zentsha. Ngiyabonga Sihlalo. [Kwaphela isikhathi.] [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, this programme seeks to integrate all government structures so that we are able to deal with the needs of the youth directly, whether they be needs related to education, needs related to participating in economic development, or issues related to the people at large. We therefore urge government and the office of the President to ensure that this year does not come to an end without the new agency, that will be called the National Youth Development Agency, having been built.
There is a need to review the National Youth Service Programme. This programme, Chairperson, was started with the intention of helping the nation in moulding the behaviour of the youth, training the youth in different skills as well as creating employment opportunities for the youth. But what we now see happening, Chairperson, is very different from what this programme was initially set up for.
Therefore, we urge the Office of the Deputy President to sit down with all the stakeholders involved in implementing this programme so that we can see how we can go back to the objectives of setting up this programme. There are many other programmes that our government has come up with in order to directly address the needs of the youth. Thank you, Chairperson. [Time expired.][Applause.]]
Chairperson, South Africa's legacy of colonialism and apartheid has left us with a huge foreign debt and inequalities in our society.
Today I stand here remembering the youth of those eras and the conditions under which they survived. I think of township life and how their playgrounds were battlefields. I think of their schooling and of our youth's impact on and united fight against the apartheid regime. I think of their sacrificed childhood in a man's war. Today we salute the youth of the Sharpeville massacre and vow to never let their sacrifice be forgotten.
Our children were mobilised against the apartheid regime from an early age and it was important that they were taught that all people are equal and that we need to aggressively protest against the apartheid regime to free our parents, our siblings and ourselves. Many survived the apartheid terror to tell of its barbarism, but are still haunted by the past.
It is indeed crucial that our children are allowed to enjoy their freedom and childhood, but it is very important that they are taught about this terrible past and are inspired as humanitarians to embrace all of humanity. As the hon Nelson Mandela said of our past: ``We shall forgive, but never forget.''
It is in our young years that we develop and enhance our values to be responsible, respectable and dignified adults. The South African Youth Charter is important to socialise our children into the democratic values of our nation. We feel that the charter and the daily affirmation of the school pledge will have a great influence in socialising our children into the spirit of our Constitution.
Government departments have embarked on many projects to drive youth development into nation-building. We need to embrace the youth into multiracial living, acceptance and respect. If we can achieve living together, then we can work together and build a better South Africa together.
We believe the Youth Parliament to be an effective means of involving young leaders in Parliament. We need to realise that the best point at which to service our shortfalls such as school shortages is at school level. This is the point at which children dream of their futures. If we walk their dreams to reality, we would achieve far more than filling a post, we would filling a life.
Our nation's recovery is indeed dependent on our empowering our youth with the necessary tools to overcome the repercussions of our past and take South Africa to new heights. Mahatma Gandhi once said: ``A country that does not invest in the youth does not invest in the future.''
Indeed, visible advancements in the rural areas, the introduction of no-fee schools, nutrition programmes, more study bursaries, the building of sports infrastructure, not only allow our youth to have equal opportunities but also to advance themselves in the labour market and in the sporting economy. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chair, I was tempted to say, as I am now, to the hon members that I am the last speaker and I would appreciate it if they listened.
Gobane ka Sepedi re fela re re e monate moseleng. [We always say the best things come towards the end.]
This means that it is usually towards the end where things will be far more interesting.
Of course, as a young person, I agree with quite a number of speakers who spoke here. We definitely should look into quite a number of things that they talked about. And also, as young people, we would want those issues to be attended to.
But I am compelled to disagree with the hon member G R Morgan, particularly when he speaks about the issue that employers are being dissuaded from employing young people because it is difficult to dismiss them. Let it sink in: Employers are dissuaded from employing young people because it is difficult to dismiss them! Are we building a South Africa where employers must first and foremost, before they employ a person; think about dismissals?
If that is the case, I am sure that our people will take a long time to vote the DA into power. Because when we speak about job security we are also saying to employers that when they hire these young people, they have the responsibility to develop their skills so that as and when they do participate in the activities of that company they are able to add value. As an employer you are then also adding value to their skills. I don't think it would be correct for the market only to intervene by purposely dismissing young people. It can't be correct. Surely, this can't be true.
This year, 2008, is the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the ANC Youth League's 1948 programme of action. I am looking at hon Gigaba, hen he became the president of the ANC Youth League, followed by President Mbalula and President Julius Malema. They all took their cue from the generation of Anton Lembede, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and O R Tambo, because these are the people who revolutionised the ANC so that they could do the things they did. That is why we are saying, as young people, that we are also aware that this year is the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the 1948 programme of action of the ANC Youth League.
Chairperson, I also want to say that we don't just waffle in the ANC; we provide leadership. That is why we welcome the Presidency's resolve that they are going to bring the African Youth Charter to Parliament for ratification. What would be the intended consequences of the ratification of the African Youth Charter? It would then mean there has to be an adoption of the national youth policy about which the Presidency spoke so that after the policy has been adopted by Cabinet, it would be an Act of Parliament. This would bring about the amalgamation of the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission into what the hon Sibhidla spoke about - the National Youth Development Agency.
It is our intention, as young people, that when that is done, the National Youth Development Agency must not only be accessible toll-free, it must be present in every locality where young people are found so that young people are able to walk into this development agency for assistance so that we are able to use this agency to alter the material conditions that define our young people. We are therefore saying to the Presidency that they must speed up the process of fine-tuning the policy which exists already so that by the end of the year, before we rise, that policy will have been adopted, which would give then rise to the amendments that have been discussed. As young people, we are also saying that the co-ordination of the Youth Parliament must be done very systematically. You don't want to create a situation where we co-ordinate as if we are just responding to the Auditor- General to show that we have been utilising money, because that would be tantamount to fiscal dumping.
That is why we are saying, as the preparatory meeting is being held today, that we need to co-ordinate from the provinces and the districts till the National Youth Parliament sits so that all of these decisions that are being taken are not just being taken for the purpose of their being noted.
They should be filtered through to portfolio committees, which would then make it a point that all of these departments that have to deal with issues that relate to young people should also be able to include these in their strategic plans. Then we would not be just hide behind the cross-cutting nature of issues that affect young people yet we are unable to give an audit as to how to account for things that we would have been able to do. This also speaks to the way the Joint Monitoring Committee is structured.
When you look at the Rules of Parliament you realise that the Joint Monitoring Committee cannot produce legislation but can only monitor jointly, which is also problematic. I think we need to look into this and then see how we can ensure that this joint monitoring group does not just become a talk shop but is also able to bite in terms of making sure that these rules are changed creatively.
It should be noted as well that the things that all of these speakers spoke about - crime, poverty and HIV/Aids - are a direct consequence of our inability to have a streamlined way of dealing with issues that affect the young. That is why we are saying that all Members of Parliament must be able to understand the African Youth Charter so that they can understand what the consequences would be of the ratification of that charter by this House when it is brought to us.
Let me pay homage to the late Manyoro Lekota. He was one of the best stalwarts that the United Democratic Front had ever produced and was assassinated in 1990. Today marks the 18th anniversary of the passing away of Comrade Manyoro Lekota. His soul will definitely rest in peace, knowing full well that the young people of this country are eager to create conditions that will alter their material circumstances.
Let me also pay homage to Kolobe Mamabolo, one of our young people who passed away during the course of this week. He graduated as a pharmacist but decided to continue serving our people, destitute and hungry, in Mankweng Hospital, and when we lower his mortal remains we will make sure that whatever he stood for, we as young people we will take forward. Of course, we know that he liked to page through Morris Cornforth's Theory of Knowledge and we definitely would make sure that young people of today are also exposed to the writings of Morris Cornforth.
Sibusiso Mamba was one of the young, energetic, egalitarian people to come from Soweto. He came to Cape Town to pursue his interests as a young man and when he went back to Soweto just to get a driver's licence, he was killed. When we were at Avalon cemetery to lower his mortal remains, quite a number of his friends who gathered around his grave, in the language of our people in Alexandra said: "Hulle was ``mof'' - they were high on drugs. All of them were collectively saying that as long as there is no alternative to bettering their lives people would resort to criminal activities. And unfortunately they sang in unison:
We live our lives like this! We live our lives like this! We live our lives like this! Why?
Which then tell us that we have a responsibility to answer their questions so that they should not move across the Atlantic, when young people of this world in Africa are able to do what is better for them. Thank you, Chairperson.
Debate concluded.