Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, hon Members of the NA and distinguished guests, the pleasure will be mine to take this House through the legacy of the youth in bringing about a democratic South Africa.
I would firstly mention that 66 years ago, Anton Lembede, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, A P Mda, Mxolisi Majombozi, and many others were profoundly aware of the challenges facing the youth of their generation. They then agreed to form the African National Congress Youth League, ANCYL, because they were a generation that was cognisant of the interconnectedness between the liberation and development of South Africa and that of the African continent.
They believed that Africans would be freed only by their own efforts, and they aimed to involve the masses of our people in militant struggles. There was the assurance that the African youth would not allow the struggles and sacrifices of their forefathers to perish. They said it then and we are saying it now that we will continue from where they left off in bringing about a thorough emancipation of our people.
The year 1976 was even more historic, as the youth of our country correctly identified the challenges and tasks they had to confront. Today, 34 years later, our youth are once again faced with the obligation of identifying the challenges and tasks they confront. As much as it was a reality that the youth of 1976 had to go into exile to train as soldiers of liberation, it should then dawn on us today to use our talents to mobilise and campaign for the advancement and development of our country and the African continent as a whole.
The nation expects the youth of today to follow in the footsteps of the 1976 youth and become agents of change in the continuing struggle to achieve the goal of a better life for all our people.
We have the common responsibility to always recall the events of 1976, so that the bravery and sacrifices of that generation of young people should serve as an inspiration to the present day youth to work hard in contributing to the solution of the challenges they and our nation confront.
Today we are hosting the Fifa World Cup because of great sacrifices. We are free today because of the blood that had to be spilled in our black townships. This freedom did not come cheap and there was no room for amagwala [cowards]. It is on these grounds that I make this clarion call to all young people to defend and guard this freedom, which has, in turn, brought about many opportunities for them in the democratic order. Had it not been for the efforts of our movement, the ANC, hosting the Fifa World Cup would be a phantom dream.
The youth of 1944 helped to mobilise and unite the young people of our country, behind the perspective that the goal of national unity must be the guiding ideal of every young African's life. And our youth must rally behind the ANC, which is destined for a great purpose and mission.
The youth of 1976 helped to mobilise and unite the youth of our country to become part of the disciplined vanguard forces of our revolution, under the leadership of the ANC. They were serving as dedicated and gallant fighters in the forward ranks of our revolutionary struggle. This happened while continuously improving their level of competence in all fields in which they were involved, whether politically, militarily, academically or administratively.
The legacy of freedom bestowed on our people by the sacrifices of the youth of 1944 and 1976, has placed additional responsibility on the youth of today. This was to defend and help entrench the value system that inspired the earlier generations of our youth. That value system was based on a set of moral injunctions that prescribed that the revolutionary youth must be inspired by one objective and one objective only. The objective was to serve the people of South Africa, with no expectation in terms of personal wealth, power, position or prestige.
The achievement of political democracy in 1984 was the nexus for the militant youth of the predemocratic era. The adoption of the democratic dispensation in 1994 brought to the fore a different set of new challenges for the youth in general. The challenge, from a political perspective, was to actively participate in the newly established political and economic structures and to make a meaningful contribution towards the future of the country.
It is now 16 years into our democracy and the youth continue to face challenges. Participation in national debates, policy formulation and political structures brings with it the need to sharpen skills and capacity on a continuous basis. The dialectics that need to be understood is that state power, as an instrument for effecting change, has huge potential for the youth, whilst at the same time it has limitations.
It is therefore an undisputed truth that the youth of South Africa contributed in liberating the people of South Africa from the system of colonialism and apartheid. Given this contribution in deepening and advancing constitutional democracy in our country, youth development has to be central in the developmental agenda of the state. The impact of this should, in effect, generate the South African youth to participate in deepening democracy and shaping the direction of our country.
The youth must invigorate their interaction to build a strong political consciousness grounded on the principles of our democracy. They should always be willing to shoulder more responsibilities in dealing with the complexities of practical political problems. These responsibilities require the kind of youth who are definitive and who understand that the future lies in their hands. This requires new thinking, perspectives and strategic ways to be formulated and carried out with skill and dexterity.
The ANCYL made its mark at the 2003 Growth and Development Summit through its submission that the different social partners, that is, government, business and labour, are acutely aware that the problem of unemployment is essentially a youth problem. Like their forebears, the youth of today take seriously the words of Moses Kotane, when he said, and I quote:
The future will be what you make of it.
The youth of South Africa are born against a background whereby the previous generation was instrumental in shaping the political landscape of this country. Previous generations were the foot soldiers of the armed struggle. Our youth, therefore, have a primary obligation to defend our democracy that brought about this World Cup. As this manifests itself, the youth must set the agenda in the national public discourse, as they remain the opinion-makers who must influence the direction of our national development and growth.
The design of democracy is, however, not enough if citizens only engage periodically with the diverse processes of democracy. If young people feel that politicians do not engage with them on challenges that they face, they will not participate actively in the democratic process.
We must, therefore, in this national youth month, pledge that we will mobilise the youth of our country to focus on the task of developing and building the nation. Also, we must prepare the conditions for our youth to participate enthusiastically in democratic processes, informed by the knowledge that their hopes rest in the democratic order.
This call was endorsed by President Zuma, when he said at the launch of the National Youth development Agency, NYDA, a year ago, that he expects the NYDA to, amongst other things, assist in promoting the youth with participating in democratic processes, community and civic decision-making and development at all levels.
The youth are well positioned to play a significant role in further consolidating democratic gains associated with nation-building. We know, as a matter of fact, that only 60% of the South African population ranges between the ages of 14 and 35 years, which in itself clearly explains why the youth in this country should remain central in the national efforts to consolidate democratic gains and advance the developmental agenda of our state.
In an article published in Inkundla ya Bantu, the first President of the ANCYL, Anton Lembede, said, and I quote: We need young men and women of high moral stamina and integrity, of courage and vision. In short, we need warriors. This means that we have to develop a new type of youth, the type of youth that will achieve the national liberation of the African people.
The ANC's policy position is buttressed by the notion of ensuring a better life for all, even when it comes to youth development, as it tends to be more sympathetic towards the marginalised youth.
The ANC policy regarding youth and youth development is the one based on basic values of democracy, nonracialism, respect for human dignity, nonsexism and tolerance.
Young people by their very nature are part of the society that absorbs and transforms cultural values from one generation to another. The youth of 1976 earned the honoured title of the "Young Lions" because of what they did to contribute to the liberation of the nation from apartheid and white minority rule.
The youth of 2010 must again earn this honoured title "Young Lions" because of what they are doing to rid the nation of the legacy of apartheid. This is also to end the scourge of poverty and underdevelopment, which continue to imprison many of our fellow citizens, both young and old.
We remain resolute, determined and committed, like the youth that came before us, to do everything possible to advance the struggle to achieve a better life for all.
We must look to the visionary youth of 1994 and those of successive generations for inspiration and guidance, as we ready ourselves to host our visitors during the Fifa World Cup. We may not need to employ the same methods as those of previous generations of youth, but we can draw on the rich tradition of activism, innovation, organisation and intellectual engagement that they embodied.
His Excellency, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said, and I quote:
We should seek to emulate in our actions their determination, steadfast commitment, selflessness, humility and readiness to sacrifice.
As we recall the momentous achievements of the youth of this country, we are challenged to define the contribution that this generation of youth will make to advance the cause of our people towards a better life for all. We are challenged to examine what it is that history asks of this generation of young people and to demonstrate how this generation will respond.
We salute those among the youth, who have played a leading role over the decades. Underneath this land lie their bones, their blood still smells fresh and their spirit lives with us forever. They have made it possible for us to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Good luck Bafana Bafana! I thank you. [Applause.]