Chair, the young people I spoke to before this debate were adamant that they had no proper platform where they could raise issues like youth unemployment, an education system that did not prepare youth to enter the job market, crime, dropouts and alcohol and substance abuse. "We are the majority," they said, "and we are frustrated that older people think they know what young people are experiencing, like the Youth Employment Accord that was signed on 24 April. Most of the people there were in their late fifties, yet they think they can address our issues and challenges." If we kept ignoring the young people of this country, then we should brace ourselves for a revolution, they said. They said that they needed jobs, needed to be developed and needed to be prioritised and treated like real South Africans by being given opportunities as well.
One young leader said to me the sad truth is that if you are a youth in this country who has never had any work experience and you reach the age of 30, chances are you won't get any employment anywhere in the country, other than slaving on a farm. He said he knows how frustrating it is to be a young person in this country. He said that often top politicians use that to their advantage to make them step up the ladder and achieve their political goals.
They need real opportunities to prove their worth. A Youth Ministry, in our opinion, is the answer, because agencies like the National Youth Development Agency are not doing us any good. They are there only to carry out the ruling party's mandate. That young leader said they were asking kindly right now, but soon they would be demanding harshly.
Talking about the NYDA, another young person asked me how the NYDA could assist them if they were politically centralised and there was no representation from the opposition youth formation in the NYDA leadership. Only Young Communist League and ANC Youth League members form the NYDA leadership structure. I don't know how accurate this statement is, but my thought would be that surely we should be looking at reforming the NYDA if it is not being what it needs to be for the youth.
When it comes to the subject of another Ministry, I must admit that I am totally sceptical. My reason is that I don't see how a Ministry will be any different. We have the example of another wonderful idea, called the Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities. All it does is look at what others are supposed to be doing and it spends huge amounts of money on salaries for a Minister, Deputy Minister, staff, cars, offices, overseas trips, etc. Not one cent goes to actually improving the lives of women, children and people with disabilities.
Looking beyond all this to the incredible potential of youth, I was reminded this week, via Twitter, that Bill Gates was 20 years old, Steve Jobs was 21, Warren Buffett was 26, Ralph Lauren 28 and Este Lauder was 29 when they started the companies that became some of the biggest successes ever known. While talent is a factor, persistence, passion and the willingness to stay up all night, working, are probably what really makes the difference between an employee and an entrepreneur.
I just have to say one more thing to those who have turned 30 and are just a little depressed by my input: Do not write yourselves off. Remember, Thomas Edison didn't invent the phonograph until he was 30 and Colonel Sanders didn't create Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 70.