Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Ms Sylvia Lucas, at the 40th Youth Day Commemoration
It is with a great sense of honour to be here today in Olifantshoek, as we honour the heroic young women and men who sacrificed life and limb to ensure that we all have the freedom that we enjoy and at times dishonour. This year’s Youth Day commemoration marks a milestone 40 years since the students braved the might of the Apartheid State to demand their rights as equal citizens of the country. In doing so, they heeded Moses Kotane’s call, who declared that:
“At this hour of destiny, your country and your people need you. The future of South Africa is in your hands and it will be what you make of it”.
These marching orders to the youth of our country echoed the famous declaration by the African patriot, Frantz Fanon when he declared in his much celebrated quote that:
It is important that as we forge ahead to build a new democratic State, we do so with the full consciousness of where we come from as a people. As we recount the heroic tales of Anton Lembede, Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe, Steve Biko, Walter Sisulu, OR Tambo, Solomon “Kalushi” Mahlangu, Chris Hani, Winnie Mandela, Charlotte Maxeke, Sophie Du Bryn and countless others, heroes and heroines of the struggle, this is to inspire us towards accelerating the very vision for which they dedicated their lives. Today, we stand tall because we stand on the shoulders of these historic giants.
It would be a travesty of justice to the various generations to whom we owe our freedom and democracy, if we dare fail to fulfill our part of this historic mission to transform the lives of all our people. It is a tribute to these many gallant fighters for our freedom that we commemorate this youth month programme and pledge our unwavering commitment to youth development.
As many of you will recall; amongst those first to pay the most supreme price in the 1976 Student’s Uprising was young Hector Peterson, whose lifeless body became the symbol of resistance against the system of apartheid as he was rushed to hospital in vain. Everywhere in the country the protests spread like wildfire.
This year Youth day and Youth month will be celebrated under the theme, “Youth moving South Africa forward.” This theme recognises the role that youth have played and are still playing in moving this country forward. This year Youth Month also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the adoption of our Constitution. The commemoration allows us to take stock of the strides made and a reminder of the challenges that still exist.
Dames en here, ek wil op hierdie stadium vir ‘n oomblik stop en spesifiek met die jong mense praat. Ons hoor jaar in en jaar uit oor die opspraakwekkende gebeure in 1976 en dit gaan verby sonder ‘n ernstige besef op wat die impak van daardie dag was. Ek wil julle graag aanmoedig dat julle die geskiedenis van al hierdie mense oplees wat ek genoem het en dan sal julle besef hoe belangrik hierdie dag is. Wat ek vandag hier opdra aan julle is soveel meer as net ‘n viering ter ere van jong mense, maar dit is geskiedenis wat sedertien ieder en elk van ons raak, ongeag van kleur, ras, etniese afkoms en geloofsoortuigings. So luister asseblief met ‘n oop hart en gemoed.
These historic acts of bravery further inspired the youth of the decade of the 1980’s, whom the former President of the ANC OR Tambo called the “young lions”, as they responded to his calls to render the apartheid State ungovernable by brave acts of defiance against the apartheid regime.
In 1994, we attained our political freedom and thanks to these gallant fighters of our freedom from different generations and eras of political struggle. Since 1994, the youth of our country have been in the forefront of the institutionalization of youth development. When the youth speak, the democratic government listens. It was at the request of the youth that the National Youth Commission and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund were constituted. Again it was at the request of the youth that those two institutions were collapsed into the National Youth Development Agency with a view to implement a comprehensive Integrated Youth Development Strategy. The aim was and still remains the comprehensive integration of youth development into the mainstream economy.
Unlike under the Apartheid State, the youth today must consider the government as an ally to their development. The laws of the country encourage democratic resolutions of all problems. The Constitution remains the bedrock upon which the new democratic State is built.
It is for this reason that all of us must never agree or get tricked into anarchy and violence as means of communicating our ideas. The meaning of freedom must be empowering our youth with skills and economic opportunities so that the dignity to which the Constitution talks about must be the lived experience of all the people of our country. In the same breadth, it must be the youth who define this mission as Frantz Fanon declared.
We believe as you do so, you will be unanimous in declaring that violence and the burning of university and school property cannot be in your name!
Dames en here, Ons sien ‘n groeiende trent van jong mense wat daarop gemik is om anargie en verwoesting te saai in die naam van dienslewerings protes aksie. Dit is nie dieselfde wat in 1976 gebeur het nie. Wat in daardie tyd gebeur het was dat jong mense in opstand gekom het om te baklei vir die reg tot gelyke en kwaliteit onderrig. Daardie jongmense het die waarde van onderrig en geletterdheid besef en het nie die skole afgebrand nie.
Wat ons vandag beleef is kriminele dade van jongmense met verskuilde agendas en ek wil ‘n ernstige beroep op U doen om te weerhou van sulke aktiwiteite. Dit is onregverdig om ander studente te weerhou om ‘n geleerdheid te bekom omdat julle nie bereid is om vreedsaam geskille te bespreek en op te los nie. Die jong leeus van die jare tagtig se eer en waardigheid word erg geskend deur roekelose wandade van die leeus van vandag. Hou altyd dit voor as voorbeeld van wat ‘n ware jong revelusioner en kampvegter is.
Ladies and gentlemen, your generation has a duty to yourselves and to prosperity, to utilise the doors of learning and culture that have been opened by the democratic government. Where you as the youth have said the doors of learning are not wide enough, as in the “hashtag fees must fall”, we as government have again listened as we will always do and are helping to flung them even more open. As government we commit ourselves towards ensuring the economic emancipation of young people through their integration into the mainstream economy.
Met die afgelope Jeug Samekoms in Upington ‘n week gelede het ons Adjunk President, Mnr. Cyril Ramaphosa jong mense aangemoedig om te studeer en ook die waarborg gegee dat jong mense nou meer as ooit die geleenthede het om beter toekomste vir hulself te skep. Die veertigste herdenking van die 1976 opstande gee ons ‘n platform om ernstig te reflekteer oor hoe ver ‘n pad ons gekom het om te verseker dat die deure tot geleerdheid en geleentheid wyd oopgemaak is.
Die ANC beleerde regering het sedert 1994 onderrig as die top prioriteit van hierdie administrasie gestel. Vandag kan ons met trots aankondig dat swart dames studente in die meerderheid is in al ons universiteite. NSFAS ondersteun nagenoeg een en ‘n half miljoen arm en minder bevoegde studende in verskeie onderig sentrums. Aannemings in verskeie Colleges het sedert 2012 gestyg van ses honderd en sewe en vyftig duisend ses honderd en negentig tot nagenoeg sewe honderd vyf en twintig duisend vanjaar
Adjunk President Ramaphosa het ook uitgebrui oor die groot toename in die NSFAS begroting. Gedurende die 2015/16 finasiele jaar het die begroting om en by R4 biljoen beloop vir universiteit studie lenings en sowat R2 biljoen beloop vir Tegniese en onderrig Colleges. Hierdie is nou die landswye getalle.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is supplemented by recovered funds and donor allocations, which further increases the total budget of NSFAS. The Provincial government has recently completed a profile of Young People in the Northern Cape and the Northern Cape Youth Development Strategy is underway which is aimed at responding comprehensively and meaningfully to the challenges facing young people. As part of advancing young people we are providing apprenticeship, learnerships as well as bursaries. More and more of our young people in the Northern Cape have access to TVET colleges and universities. To his end we can report that in the previous financial year we spent over R54 million and we envisage to spend over R69.5 million in this current financial year on bursaries.
Soos ons kan sien is hierdie ‘n regering wat nie net luister na die jong mense van hierdie land nie, maar wat aktief saam werk met jong mense ter bevordering van hulle belange. Dit is vir U om ons hand te neem en hierdie pad saam te stap en nie teenwerk wat daargestel word. Ons kan vreedsaam ons verskille op die tafel sit en saam daaraan werk. Dit is daarom van kardinale belang dat julle as die jong en verantwoordelike mense van die land aktief deel neem in alle relevante vlakke van besluitneming aangesien dit julle toekomse affekteer.
Dit is vir julle om met trots te werkskaf aan julle toekoms en om al hierdie nuttelose dinge te laat vaar. Ek moet my ten sterkste uitlaat oor die “Blesser” ding wat nou weer posvat. Julle is jonk en trotse jong dames wat kan werk vir dit wat julle wil hê. Daar is ‘n gesegde wat lui “ moenie bedel vir dit wat jy kan verdien nie. Die Blessee status gaan gepaard met ernstige gevare vir jong meisies. En ek wil ook mans vra om hierdie ongoddelike praktyk stop te sit. Die jeug van 1976 het nie hul lewens verloor vir julle om blessee’s te word nie. Staan trots en hoog en werk hard sodat jy ‘n “Blesser van jou ouers en jou naasbestaandes kan word.
Dwelmgebruik en ander middels wat die jeug gebruik is besig om ons jong mense teen ‘n bekommerde spoed te vernietig. Stop asseblief om hiedie dwelmhandelaars te ondersteun en te verryk. Dit vernietig nie net julle nie, maar ook gesinne en gemeenskappe. Drankmisbruik onder jeugdiges neem ook problematiese proporsies aan. Julle is nog jonk en kan uitstuig om te bereik wat julle bestem is om te wees; ons leiers van môre. Wees wys en werk na die doelwit van ‘n beter lewe van môre.
Jong dames moet ook nie oorhaastig te wees om ma te word nie, want die oorgroter meerderheid van julle kan nie ma wees as jy self nog ‘n kind is nie. Die probleem word dan jul ouers s’n wat nie regverdig is nie. Jou tyd sal kom om ma te wees en dan kan jy die kind versorg en gee wat hulle verdien. Onverantwoordelike seks lei ook na vele ander komplikasie.
As I conclude, allow me to re-iterate the assertion that our freedom was not free. Solomon “Kalushi” Mahlangu and many heroes and heroines paid the ultimate price for our freedom and democracy. The Youth month provides an opportunity to commemorate their sacrifice whilst reinforcing the role that all of us must play to spearhead youth development today. They struggled so that we could exercise our freedom to cast our vote to further the development of our country.
Allow me to take this opportunity to call on all our youth to cast their votes during the Local Government Elections on the 3rd of August 2013 as proclaimed by the President. This will be fitting tribute to those who died and to those who still live, those who fought for our freedom and democracy.
On our part as government, we will accelerate youth development in order to realise the vision of a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society! We call on all young people to carry forth the idea of One Africa, free of xenophobic and attacks and one Country, free of inequality, poverty, unemployment, racism and sexism. The task of building a united Africa and South Africa is in our hands!
Finally, I thank you for being here today and working together we will successfully champion youth development; and move South Africa forward. The future is yours to build or to betray!