Chairperson, as I take the podium, I would like first and foremost to pay tribute to those young leaders who came before us and changed the course of history, and to whom we owe an immense debt of gratitude as we commemorate the youth month.
We acknowledge that on 16 June 1976 more than 20 000 pupils from Soweto embarked on a protest against the apartheid regime, which had imposed on them Afrikaans as the medium of instruction at schools. In the wake of the clashes with the police and the violence that ensued over the few weeks that followed, approximately 700 people were killed, many of whom were young people.
These young people paid with their lives for the struggle we were waging, but their actions were not in vain. They set in motion a chain of reactions, which eventually led to the demise of the apartheid regime.
Today I stand at this podium knowing that it was their monumental effort that has afforded me opportunities that I am able to enjoy today, such as being a member of this august House. [Applause.]
However, the struggle for freedom is not over. As the theme of this debate acknowledges, the struggle for today's youth is crippling poverty and lack of job opportunities. This means that, even though we have attained our political freedom, many commentators label South Africa's youth unemployment levels, which currently stands at more than 50%, a ticking time bomb.
How then do we address this crisis before we see the youth again taking matters into their own hands as they did in 1976?
During the recently held IFP Youth Brigade conference, they identified key issues that need to be addressed in order for our youth to attain economic freedom in our lifetime. They are: youth development and the dysfunctional NYDA; the fight against HIV/Aids; the challenge of preventing South Africa from sliding into a welfare state; and South Africa's dysfunctional education system, amongst other issues.
It is of paramount importance that South Africa's youth is properly organised to promote positive citizenship and to assist in community development. Yet the current institutional structures, such as the National Youth Development Agency, do not fulfil their mandate because of their lack of focus, lack of accountability and political bias.
Youth development under the NYDA has remained nothing but a pipe dream, and instead, this agency has become a vehicle through which the rich have become richer. The notion of it being a body looking after the interests of all young people vanished when the NYDA appointed almost all members of its Provincial Advisory Boards from the ANC Youth League.
This is the background to the IFP's belief that President Zuma should dissolve the NYDA, as it only serves the narrow interests of the ANC Youth League elite and the tenderpreneurs associated with it. [Applause.]
In its place, we must contemplate a new youth agency based on the principles of Ubuntu-Botho that will assist the youth to learn how to help themselves and be self-reliant. That will teach them self-respect and respect for others, while they develop community leadership, skills, training and social skills.
Such an institution should be focused on implementation rather than mere co- ordination. It should operate at all three spheres of government and should take the form of a fully-fledged and well-resourced youth ministry. It should be able to rapidly implement positive youth development and take responsibility for all youth affairs of this country.
Another critical obstacle to the youth of South Africa attaining economic freedom in our lifetime is the HIV/Aids pandemic. This pandemic continues to decimate South Africa's population, despite ever increasing government funding earmarked for the fight against it, while the youth remains one of the most vulnerable group that it affects.
In addition, an ever increasing proportion of our population relies on social grants in the absence of job opportunities. This is a disconcerting emergence of a dependency culture among our economically active population, and our youth can play a crucial role in reversing this unsustainable slide into a welfare state.
As the IFP, we will continue to use all public forums, such as the one we are given today, to urge government to sharpen its focus on job creation as an alternative to the expansion of social welfare.
While we in the IFP recognise and appreciate Parliament's role in organising the Youth Parliament, the question must be asked: How much of a difference will it make to the plight of our young people? How much of what we are discussing here today will actually lead to radical policy shifts? Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]