Hon House Chairperson, it has been seen that jealousy is written on people's faces. [Interjections.] I suppose I was expecting the opposition to acknowledge and congratulate one of our own, a young person, hon Mduduzi Manana, who has been appointed to a new position. But it's fine - when you are jealous, you no longer see the future! [Interjections.]
The essence of the 1976 struggle was about opening the doors of learning for all. We stand here today in commemoration of the gallant bravery they displayed in front of the brutal police and military forces of the then apartheid colonial regime, which denied them the basic human right of the opportunity to learn and acquire skills. Their struggle for better education was inspired by the Freedom Charter's message that states, and I quote:
The aim of education shall be to teach the youth to love their people and their culture, to honour human brotherhood, liberty and peace; Education shall be free, compulsory, universal and equal for all children; Higher education and technical training shall be opened to all by means of state allowances and scholarships awarded on the basis of merit;
Consistent with this message, the ANC, when it came to power in 1994, gave priority to the education of our youth, to the development of their skills, and to job creation, so that poverty could be eliminated. The future prosperity of our country depends on the youth of today, for they are the custodians of the future.
As South Africans, we are all aware that the history of the youth in this country is the history of struggle - of triumph over adversity, of success against all odds, and of victory over oppression. Every generation of our youth has gone through these historical moments, as evidenced by the struggles of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and, currently, 2012. Each of these decades emphasised different issues, reflecting specific challenges that faced the youth of the day.
We all agree that one of the biggest challenges facing the youth of today in this decade is that of unemployment. Notwithstanding the fact that unemployment is the number one challenge facing the nation as a whole, it is the youth who are to a large extent being affected by it. The National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, has estimated in their report of 2009-10 that about 73% of all people who are unemployed in the country are young people. This has to be taken within the context of the estimated total rate of unemployment of between 24% and 35% of the economically active population.
The magnitude of youth unemployment has in turn exacerbated its associated problems of high levels of poverty, increasing rates of underage and youth pregnancies, alcohol and drug abuse, crime, and in recent times, increasing numbers of child-headed households. Youth unemployment has also contributed to an increased number of young people of various vulnerable categories who are catered for by the social security system to pull them out of the poverty trap.
According to a Human Sciences Research Council report, international studies and benchmarks have identified the following reasons why we need to focus on youth development. They make up a significant proportion of the global population and their increasing interconnectedness means that they comprise a significant local, regional and national constituency. Creating livelihood opportunities for young people helps to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Five of the eight Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, speak directly to improving the situation of young people. Failure to invest in young people can lead to their involvement in crime, violence and other social ills.
On a positive note, this study also shows that the current cohort of the South African youth is the best educated ever, they are the healthiest sector of the population, they are technologically confident, they have high hopes and aspirations for the future, and they can influence the national and civic life.
Kuchaza kabanti, i-ANC yente umsebenti lomkhulu ngekudlala indzima lebalulekile ngekwakha inhlangano yalabasha letokwati kusebenta matima kukhulula bantfu labasha nekutsi batfole nemakhono. Kungako kulesikhatsi sanyalo i-ANC yatsi uma ivula inhlangano yalabasha lebitwa ngekutsi, pheceleti, i-ANC Youth League yafundzisa lusha kutsi lucine kute lutekwati kuphatsa lelive ngoba bantfu labasha balikusasa lemmango.
Kubaluleke kakhulu futsi kutsi sati kutsi konkhe loku lesikubona kumitsetfomgomo yahulumende lamuhla kungenca yenhlangano yalabasha be-ANC leyasebenta matima kute ihlangane naletinye tinhlangano lebambisene nato kucinisekisa kutsi tonkhe tidzingo tebantfu labasha tiyafezeka. Nguloko lokwenta inhlangano yalabasha be-ANC kutsi ihlale phasi iphakamise kuvulwa Kwemkhakha Wetekutfutfukisa Wavelonkhe lobitwa ngekutsi, pheceleti, yi- National Youth Development Agency. Loku kutawenta kutsi yonkhe imitsetfomgomo isebente kutfutfukisa bantfu labasha kute kuvuleke nematfuba emsebenti. Siyabonga. (Translation of Siswati paragraphs follows.)
[To elaborate further, the ANC did an excellent job playing a pivotal role in establishing a youth league that would work hard to liberate the youth and enable them to acquire skills. It is for that reason that the ANC, having established the ANC Youth League, is currently teaching the youth to be strong so that they can lead the country, because the youth are the future leaders of the nation.
It is of the utmost importance to know that all that we see in government policies today is because of the ANC Youth League, which worked tirelessly in collaboration with other organisations to ensure that all of the needs of the youth are addressed. It is for that reason that the ANC Youth League sat down and proposed the establishment of a National Youth Development Agency. All policies in place would provide a platform to develop the youth to open up job opportunities. Thank you.]
The adoption of the National Youth Policy 2009-14 as government policy, and the establishment of the National Youth Development Agency represented a big step forward in the development of the youth of our country.
In addition to these efforts, the ANC government has prioritised the promotion of a culture of learning and teaching in education as one of the key pillars of the strategy to address the skills deficit which is contributing to the current massive youth unemployment.
Chairperson, it is very important that people realise that the ANC's 2009 manifesto speaks to all the issues around the youth wage and job opportunities that the President always speaks about. This manifesto is being realised today and shows that the ANC really cares about its own people.
As we commemorate Youth Day through this debate, we as Parliament must ensure that through our oversight work the commitments we have made to the youth of this country are indeed implemented and realised. We must not fail those who sacrificed their lives in their struggle for a better education and the attainment of the freedom that we enjoy today.
It is very important for me to highlight the fact that we must teach political education and educate the people on my left-hand side so that they learn about and respect other peoples' cultures. That is why, in most cases, you find young people disrespecting their elders. It is because the latter don't have respect. Some of them are old but they don't even notice that we don't need toys here; this is a respected House. However, they play as if they are playing with toys! [Interjections.]
It is very important that we should notice that other people just speak, but some of them have factory faults! [Interjections.]
It is also very important that we notice that when we say that young people must be capacitated and given opportunities ...