Hon Chairperson of the House, hon members, while I was sitting here I was planning to stick to what I was going to say, but I was distracted by the hon Ollis who has just spoken. I don't know where he came from; he just popped up at this podium and said things with which I suppose the majority of young South Africans would definitely never ever agree. This is precisely because if they did, they would have queued to vote for the DA in the last elections. And that is why they didn't do that! [Interjections.]
This year we are commemorating the 34th anniversary of June 16, which saw the revolt of young people against the oppressive system of apartheid. When they marched out of school on that day, they chanted slogans for democracy and immediately pushed South Africa's brutal regime back onto the international agenda. They had teargas, rubber bullets and live ammunition fired at them and, on the spot, Hector Peterson became the first victim of the brutal force unleashed by the regime on that day, June 16.
The scores of young and innocent bodies recorded on that day were meant to intimidate any form of uprising anywhere in the country. That failed, as the youth went all out to depose the apartheid regime and ultimately did so 28 years later.
As we commemorate this day today, I am reminded of what popular jazz artist Wynton Massalis said in his eulogy to Duke Ellington:
If you give me a fair chance, I will show you the true meaning of democracy.
That is the fair chance, hon Ollis, that the majority of young South Africans are still lacking.
These words are what have inspired different generations of young people since colonisation, oppression and exploitation. From the youth rebellions led by Shaka - Ufasimba - to those led by Bambatha against the tax laws; to those who were forced to work underground in the mines for the gold and diamonds they would never own while they were dispossessed of their land and cattle; to those who fought against the Land Act of 1913, were all pushed by these words: If you give me a fair chance, I will help you understand the true meaning of democracy.
From the youth, who protested against the terrible working conditions in the economically booming Johannesburg; to those who felt the harsh and brutal realities of apartheid capitalism as they were forcibly removed from Sophiatown to Soweto; to those who formed the ANC Youth League, the SA Student Organisation and the Congress of South African Students; to those who revolted on the cold morning of June 16, beginning their action in Morris Isaacson, they shared that sentiment. [Interjections.]
If you give me a fair chance, hon Barnard, I will make you better understand the true meaning of democracy. [Applause.]
These words pushed into action those young people who skipped the country to train as soldiers of uMkhonto weSizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army; those who were incarcerated on Robben Island; and those who today are afforded an opportunity to vote. Yet the brutal force of the capitalist system, defended by the DA on a daily basis, prevents them from truly enjoying the true fruits of democracy. These words echo: If you give me a fair chance, I will help you understand the true meaning of democracy.
As a free, democratic country we have made significant strides towards a better life for all South African citizens, black or white. However, we constantly remind ourselves that much more needs to be done if we are to speak of a truly free, democratic and just society. This is all that our youth of today are fighting for: a fair chance.
Of course they know that the blood of Kalushi Mahlangu did nourish the tree of democracy and freedom. They know that had it not been for our democratic system ushered in in 1994, they would still be required to carry pass books, be forced to learn in the language of the oppressor, see their parents being humiliated for opposing the system of apartheid and hear that their brothers and sisters were harassed and detained without trial. They also know that they would never have been allowed to vote for the government of their choice and see the ANC-led alliance being the majority party. Instead they would not have had any hope and have been full of despair at the prospect of there being a black president of this country.
Yet they still say, "Nay, these are the only political gains from the sweat that Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki and Robert Sobukwe shed as they languished in jail. What about the economy? What about the land?" they ask.
"What about the ownership of the factories and the mines? What about the banks and the monopolies; were these not the same fair chances that Ruth First and Chris Hani fought for? These are the same institutions that formed part of the exploitation of our parents and our parents' parents. If we are given a fair chance in the ownership of these institutions, then we will help you understand the true meaning of democracy." [Applause.]
The youth declare that our country is the most unequal society in the world, surpassing Brazil in terms of the Gini coefficient measure of income inequality.
They come out onto the streets in true June 16 protest style and bemoan poor service delivery by municipalities, but yet the main precursors of these protests remain unemployment. They come out onto the streets in true June 16 style and blame people from neighbouring countries for their economic miseries; and yet the true precursors of their unemployment is the continued skewed racial ownership patterns of our economy.
They come out onto the streets in true June 16 style and demand to be taken to Gauteng or Mpumalanga, and, yet, the real precursors are the actual demands for land and bread in our country.
If you listen to them carefully, they ask, this youth: "Is this what Mandela fought for? Did he fight only to have our government being held solely accountable for our misery? Did he struggle only to have us pushing each other to be first in the queue for social grants?"
What about the accountability of the private sector? Are they not the ones who are looting us - our sweat and blood - and then rewarding themselves with huge bonuses? Are they not the ones who are pushing our government away when it seeks to transform the ownership patterns of our economy?
Many in the private sector celebrate the fact that they have reached their 26% black economic empowerment and 40% black management targets of their companies, as per the Employment Equity Act. But is that a fair chance, especially when 74% of the economy is still in white hands - and the DA, on a daily basis, is here to defend that? [Applause.] Look at the racial profiles of the owners and managers of the companies listed on the stock exchange. Is that a fair chance? That's what we ask. [Interjections.]
For them - and listen to them closely - true and total transformation and a fair chance mean that the ownership of wealth should be in the hands of the majority in pursuit of a humane society.
For the youth of our country, June 16 means that we should pursue the values of a caring, loving and secure society. For them, June 16 should be about education and skills for those who are illiterate and unskilled so that they are able to get jobs or create jobs.
June 16 for the youth of our country means access to health care for those who are sick. It means housing for those who have no shelter. It means an end to exploitative practices, especially in the private sector. [Interjections.]
If you look at the inequalities in our society, in which CEOs of banks are paid millions of rand on the basis of how much debt they are able to sell to our communities, there is no accountability. If you look at the CEOs of bread companies who are paid millions of rand on the basis of how much price-fixing they are able to do, that is what we call a lack of accountability in the private sector.
If I start with you, hon Kohler-Barnard, you would not even be able to finish saying "BBC". [Interjections.] [Applause.] Others will proclaim and say: "But it is our constitutional right to accumulate as much as possible and then the government should take care of the rest. You cannot take away our factories and our land because they are protected by the Constitution." [Interjections.]
But is it not the same Constitution in which the right to work, the right to life, the right to speak in Parliament ... [Interjections.]