Hon Chairperson and hon members, 35 years have passed since that fateful, and yet heroic youth uprising that started in Soweto on 16 June 1976. The nation has still not forgotten about either the naked brutality of the system of apartheid, or the remarkable heroism and extraordinary courage of all those that fought against the system - young and old, male and female, and black and white.
It is important that we refuse to forget, lest we expose ourselves to the risk of repeating the errors as well as the folly of the past. We must continue to teach the youth about the supreme effort it took to bring the country to where it is today, so that they reject the proposition of those that demand that we should now forget.
In commemorating such occasions as the 35th anniversary of the June 16 uprising, we must allow the martyrs of the past to open our eyes, as we once closed theirs when they died.
What we should strive for is to use such commemorations to unite our youth, both black and white. Our history, as well as our future, must be occasions to unite and not divide us. In commemorating the historic landmarks of our struggle, the imprints of the past on today, we must advocate a unifying perspective that places high on the banner the collective interests of all South Africans.
These occasions allow us to heal together as a nation, as well as focus our eyes on the challenges facing the youth of our nation. To the youth of South Africa we must say that it is an honour to serve your people and sacrifice in their name. However, whereas in the past the youth often had to die for the nation, today they must live for it.
In paying tribute to the youth of 1976 we are paying tribute at the same time to all the generations of youth, both before and after 1976, that participated in the struggle for freedom. June 16 dramatised the indignation of the youth towards the system of apartheid, and their unwavering faith in united action and the liberating power of education.
Lest we forget, it was in these exact Chambers, through the apartheid parliament, that laws were passed that gave reality to human rights violations, and injustice was made law to give truth to a lie. The youth of 1976 exchanged their lives to uncover this lie and lay it bare before the peoples of the whole world.
The theme of this debate is "Parliament in action: advancing youth development to break the cycle of generational poverty and unemployment". This serves as a constant reminder of the task that we have to perform, of continuing to dismantle the apartheid legacy. The theme places a huge task before this democratic Parliament, the tribune of our people.
We stand here today in this debate, presented with an opportunity to ask ourselves some pertinent questions about how much, both in content and form, we have progressed in delivering the society that Hector Pieterson yearned for as he stared death in the face and his final hour struck.
It is true that Parliament, both the NCOP and the National Assembly, must provide a platform to infuse the realities of our people in law-making and thus give meaning and justification to their struggles. Accordingly, conversations such as this one must help our citizenry, especially our youth, to breathe the energy and robustness inherent in their age to revolutionise the process of legislation and oversight of this sphere of government.
The role the NCOP has played in raising the youth debate in the past is laudable. This House has not been found wanting in its obligation to recognise and acknowledge the historic role of our youth in liberating South Africa. Of course, many among those produced in the trenches by youth struggles are now sitting here as hon members.
In particular, the NCOP continues to work hard in promoting socioeconomic rights as enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and issues of youth development have found pride of place and have been placed high on the NCOP's agenda.
Among others, the social and economic progress made by South Africa is outlined in the 2010 Development Indicators, issued by the Presidency. They indicate that real income and poverty headcount indicators show improvement in living standards of the poor, explained in part by rising social grants transfers.
Spending on education has continued to increase, by 16% from 2007-08 to 2010-11, with additional allocations of R243 billion earmarked over the medium term, among others to improve school infrastructure, and increase access for poor students to further education and training, FET, colleges and universities.
Mention should be made of the bold step by the Minister of Higher Education and Training to radically restructure the sector education and training authority, Seta, regime, to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in delivering the skills requisite to the needs of the economy, and also the hands-on approach of the Department of Basic Education in putting under its administration the ailing Eastern Cape department of education.
The percentage of households in formal dwellings has increased from an estimated 64% in 1996 to 76% in 2009. HIV prevalence has been stabilised, mother-to-child transmission has dropped to a paltry 3% and government is at the forefront of intensifying its campaign against HIV and Aids. This gives us a dipstick indication of the performance of policy choices we have made, and the pace at which such are being realised. What it points to is that whilst much has been achieved since 1994, the dream of total emancipation that inspired the youth of Soweto 35 years ago is still worth pursuing, as it is still far from being achieved.
Clearly, urgency is required, especially to reverse the tide of youth unemployment which, according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, has worsened over the past two years. Youth accounted for about 40% of all job losses during 2009-10, as the employment of 15-to 24-year-olds fell by 21,8%. Almost 15 million working-age adults are under 30 years of age, equal to just under half of the country's working age population of 46%.
This situation of youth unemployment has been prevalent since before the demise of apartheid. The truth is that whereas youth unemployment is a result of aggregate unemployment in the economy, it would be total folly to argue that because of this we should, perforce, first create aggregate employment in order to address youth unemployment. This would totally neglect the fact that there are specific conditions in the labour market that create youth unemployment and therefore specific interventions are required in order to create employment for the youth and facilitate their economic participation.
The New Growth Path proposes a long-needed paradigm shift, and places the issue of youth development high on its agenda. Since 1996 South Africa has ushered in youth development institutions and machinery to allow the interface between civil and political society on youth matters. We have ratified the African Youth Charter, and Cabinet adopted the second generation National Youth Policy.
These have been supported by a range of programmes and strategies to empower the youth in the various line functions, such as the following, to mention but a few: the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, initiatives that saw young people involved in the refurbishment, rehabilitation, and maintenance of community infrastructure across the country; the youth focal points in more than 60% of government departments, where direct engagement with youth takes place; several departments have established youth development machinery at all tiers of government; learnerships and internships have focused on raising the skills capacity of young people through Setas; and the upcoming launch of the Integrated Youth Development Strategy, as announced by the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA.
It is clear that as a country we have been engaged in finding the solutions to the complex problems facing the youth today. We must occupy ourselves with measuring precisely how all of these endeavours come together to change the face of poverty and unemployment, which continues to be younger, African, rural and female in complexion. It should be done in line with the current trend of outcomes measurement.
We must implore our National Planning Commission, NPC, as it tries to present a vision of what type of nation we wish to be, also to address itself to the situation our youth find themselves in. That must clearly bring everyone together towards a common effort to steer the youth towards economic participation.
This House must find creative ways to factor into its DNA the recommendations made by the Independent Panel Assessment of Parliament, commissioned in 2009, which called for a systematic and structured approach to ensure the integration of youth voices, mobilised through these youth debates and youth parliaments, and provide feedback to the participants.
We must do all of this in order to empower our youth for their historic responsibilities at the head of the transformation of our country, bearing in mind that they are the constructors, inheritors and inhabitants of the future.
The skills required to accomplish this task are vastly and radically different to those that were required to defeat apartheid in the past. For the youth to accomplish these historic tasks, they need education to master new knowledge and science, technology and skills. In that effort, they need the support and contribution of the entire nation. Older generations have taken us this far. To the youth of South Africa we say, a glorious future awaits - pursue it relentlessly! Finally, I would like to wish the ANC Youth League well at its national congress, and congratulate it for continuing to be a preparatory school for young revolutionary democrats of our movement and country. I thank you. [Applause]
Me J L HARTNICK (Wes-Kaap): Agb Voorsitter, agb lede, dit is vir my 'n voorreg om vandag in die Nasionale Raad van Provinsies deel te neem. Die tema van die debat is die ontwikkeling van ekonomiese geleenthede om die jeug te bevorder en te bevry. Die jeug in Suid-Afrika en wreldwyd is een van die belangrikste sektore van die gemeenskap. Dit is waar die leiers van die toekoms besig is om te ontwikkel en om idees te vorm oor hoe om die samelewing en die toekoms meer tegnologies gevorderd te maak, om beter ekonomiese groei teweeg te bring, en om met probleme soos aardverwarming, oorbevolking en besoedeling te worstel.
In Suid-Afrika het hierdie probleem nog ander dimensies. Probleme soos grootskaalse werkloosheid, armoede en gebrek aan ekonomiese geleenthede om as mens en moontlike entrepreneur te ontwikkel, is faktore wat die bevordering van die jeug in die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing kortwiek.
Een van die waarhede in die debat is die besef dat die jeug in Suid-Afrika ernstige probleme in die gesig staar om die siklus van generasielange armoede en werkloosheid uit te wis. Daar word erken dat apartheid 'n rol hierin speel, maar geleenthede moet ook deur die nasionale en provinsiale regerings van die land geskep word om te verseker dat daar nie nog 'n generasie jongmense verlore gaan nie.
Ons gee erkenning aan die rol wat die jeug gedurende die 1976-opstande en die 1980-onluste gespeel het en hul bydrae om te verseker dat Suid-Afrika vandag 'n land is waar geleenthede vry en oop is om ekonomiese bevordering aan te help en daar te stel.
Die Grondwet van die land verskans ook ekonomiese vryhede en moedig alle vlakke van die regering en die privaatsektor aan om die geleenthede daar te stel om ekonomiese bevordering en bevryding van alle burgers van Suid- Afrika te bewerkstellig.
Die fokus op die jeug, as een van die belangrike dryfkragte van die toekomstige ekonomie van die land, moet dwarsdeur die jaar aangespreek word. Daar moet ook gelet word op hoe die fokus geplaas word, en wat werklik gedoen word om die probleme van die jeug aan te spreek. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Ms J L HARTNICK (Western Cape): Hon Chairperson and hon members, it is a privilege for me to take part in the National Council of Provinces debate today. The theme of the debate is the development of economic opportunities to promote and free our youth. The youth in South Africa as well as the youth worldwide one of the most important sectors of the community. This is where future leaders are in the process of developing and formulating ideas on making society and the future more technologically advanced, bringing about better economic growth, and grappling with challenges such as global warming, overpopulation, and pollution.
In South Africa this challenge has additional dimensions. Challenges such as large-scale unemployment, poverty, and a lack of economic opportunities to develop as a person and possible entrepreneur are factors which are hampering the promotion of the youth living within South African society.
One of the truths in the debate is the realisation that the youth in South Africa are facing serious challenges in relation to eradicating the cycle of generational poverty and unemployment. It is recognised that apartheid played a role in this, but opportunities should also be created by both national and provincial governments to ensure that we do not lose yet another generation of young people.
We acknowledge the role that the youth played during the uprisings of 1976 and the riots of 1980, as well as their contribution to ensuring that, at present, South Africa is a country where opportunities are free and open for furthering and realising economic upliftment.
Economic freedoms are entrenched in the Constitution of the country, which encourages all spheres of government, as well as the private sector, to create opportunities to accomplish the economic upliftment and liberation of all South African citizens.
The emphasis on the youth as one of the crucial driving forces of the country's future economy should be addressed throughout the year. Attention should also be given to how the emphasis will be placed, and what exactly is being done to address the challenges of the youth.]
The premier's forum that was launched will address the various issues pertaining to youth unemployment. Each provincial government department of the Western Cape has its own developmental programme directed at the empowerment of the youth through skills development in critically needed areas in the public and private sectors.
The importance of transversal programmes cannot be emphasised enough. Although each department has its own programme, collectively a concerted effort to empower the youth will make the economy viable and enable the youth to contribute to the gross income of the province and the country as a whole.
It is of vital importance that the social problems surrounding the youth are sustainably addressed and eradicated. Adequate assistance with education during the first school years will go much further than assisting learners during Grades 10, 11 and 12. The improvement of education during the first grades will enlarge the grasp of knowledge of the young child, and will eradicate the fact that there are vast numbers of dropouts in the higher standards.
Appropriate social and educational assistance and bursaries will go the extra mile towards helping them and have the desired outcomes, which will provide the necessary critical skills that will enable the youth to be economically viable.
Teenage pregnancy has to be minimised and eradicated if the trend of high unemployment amongst young women is to be stopped. Last year, 7 327 girls gave birth, which effectively places their children in the social grant system. The youth must be given the opportunity to make career choices without the burden of bad life skills choices. Teenage pregnancy keeps the young woman firmly in the claws of poverty and ensures that the legacy of poverty is carried over to the next generation. We need to take stern measures now in order to stop this.
Let us not close our eyes to the dire situations created by gangs and drug enslavement. The skills development initiatives are as critical to the uplifting of the youth as they are to freeing our society as a whole from the social ills that surround acute poverty.
We recognise the fact that the government alone cannot address a problem of this magnitude. All three tiers of government - national, provincial and municipal - and the economic and private sectors will need to combine their endeavours.
We need to constantly remind ourselves of the potentially destructive influence of the youth component in South Africa, of whom almost 51% are unemployed. We need to acknowledge their frustration and hopelessness, the devastating effects of habit-forming substances, and the ensuing crime and violence.
Only one out of two successful matriculants stands a chance of finding a job. That is, if he or she was one of the 364 513 learners who passed matric last year. According to the Fast Facts which was released in May 2011, a staggering 3,3 million young people in South Africa are not in education, employment or training! And it is this group that needs to be targeted so that they can become economically viable in order to take care of themselves and a family financially.
There is an oversupply of unschooled or inappropriately skilled workers and an acute shortage of specific skills to provide for the needs of economically sustainable industries. For that reason, the Western Cape government has pledged its involvement in establishing the necessary skills development programmes to meet the ever-growing needs of an expanding population.
There has never been a time in our country's history when it has been so crucial for a cumulative effort to be made to equip the youth with the necessary tools, such as excellent primary and secondary education, followed by education at outstanding tertiary institutions. We also need to ensure that they have the self-assurance and life skills to empower them successfully in the economic market.
We welcome the forum's oversight position on the type of critical skills that will be needed for the required economic growth and on implementing those skills in the training centres. Through the generation of healthy co- operation between the public and private sectors, the necessary funds and service delivery will stimulate skills development.
We also welcome the strong contingent of youth that will represent the interests of the youth in the forum and believe that a spirit of entrepreneurship will be developed amongst the youth of this province.
The DA will provide the best opportunities for the youth in this province. Thank you. [Applause.]