Chairperson, it is a sad reality that the youth in this country are forced to bear the full brunt of the current problems afflicting our society. These problems are widespread, ranging from a high infection rate of HIV through to a failing education system that so often inadequately prepares young people to take up opportunities in our economy.
It is also tragic that the majority of the unemployed in South Africa are people between 18 to 25 years who are simply excluded from the mainstream economy. In such a situation, hopelessness sets in and robs many young people of the optimism that they should be enjoying for their future.
This is a recipe for disaster, as without hope and a true stake in the future of this country more and more young people will opt out of society and resort to destructive activities such as crime, drugs and alcohol abuse. If we truly are a caring Parliament, then we should ensure that policies are put in place that will actually give the youth a foothold in our economy.
Instead of funnelling hundreds of millions of rands into an organisation like the NYDA, which simply squanders it on festivals and inflated salaries, we should be forcing the executive's hand to implement a youth wage subsidy that can give young people the economic opportunities that they so desperately require.
It is also of concern to the ID that, given the desperate situation of so many young people in South Africa, the ground is fertile for false prophets to emerge.
Instead of offering real hope to young South Africans, these false prophets are more than willing to polarise our society and offer up populist solutions that will intensify our economic woes rather than alleviate them. They will preach revolution while they themselves enjoy conspicuous consumption and benefit from government largesse.
We must never allow such false prophets to dominate our political discourse or all that we have worked for in constructing a new nonracial and nonsexist South Africa, which will quickly unravel. At this point in our country's history we need real leadership from the youth that will embody the values of progressive and constructive debate, focused on truly overcoming the challenges of this generation.
In this way, the voices of the false prophets can be drowned out and the concerns of all young South Africans can finally be addressed. Thank you. [Applause.]