Thank you for your protection, hon Deputy Chair. Hon Deputy Chair, hon members of this House, all protocol observed. This debate is indeed really, really important for the youth of today, and I want us to be honest. John C Maxwell said that whenever you are a leader and someone criticises you and you just shout that person down, you are actually stupid. John C Maxwell also went on to say that in order for a human being to reach his or her goal, he or she needs to be a disciplined human being.
I would like to say to the youth today in this debate that it is a shame that so many of them are still unemployed. It is heart-breaking to see that some of them cannot get bursaries. It is heart-breaking to see that 70% of the youth are unemployed. It is heart-breaking. And, and we must be honest: yes, the government is trying its utmost, but the government is not doing enough. Regarding the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Agency, the government must bring the culprits to book. What are they doing? Millions of rands are given to certain individuals while the really poor people are suffering. We cannot allow this kind of thing to go on. It is impossible.
Die jeug van 1976 het met hul lewens betaal vir hierdie vryheid, en die jeug van vandag het nie vryheid nie. Ons is nie ekonomies vry nie. Ons is polities vry, maar ons jeug het nie ekonomiese mag nie. Om van hierdie jeug leiers te maak, moet jy hulle begin verantwoordelik maak. En om hulle verantwoordelik te maak, moet jy vir hulle ekonomiese vryheid gee. Ek dink aan 'n kind en ek sien hoe ons kinders ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[The youth of 1976 paid with their lives for this freedom, and the youth of today do not have freedom. We are not free economically. We are free politically, but our youth have no economic power. To turn the youth into leaders one has to start by making them responsible. And to make them responsible means giving them economic freedom. I think of a child and I see how our children ...]
Members of Parliament would agree. When your children go to bed, they don't worry because they know there is food on the table. What about the children who go to bed and there is no food, and they get up the next morning knowing there isn't even porridge for them to eat? [Interjections.] And that is why I am saying to you, Maine, do not ask me what I am doing. Stop wasting the millions and do the right thing, Maine. Hon Maine, do the right thing.
I would like to say this: Until we come to the point where we acknowledge that the youth are valuable ... Young people have value. Young people just need to be directed. Young people just need to be helped and to be educated - given a decent, quality education; not just certain individuals, but everyone in South Africa belongs to South Africa. The Freedom Charter says that all who live in South Africa shall share in this country. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr S A DUMA (KwaZulu-Natal): Hon Chair, I think I should first mention that we must dwell very much on the principles of profit and advantage when we deal with the issue of this forefront concept of youth today versus the issue of justice, balance and the reciprocity process.
I completely agreed with hon Chairperson R J Tau when he specifically articulated the issue of labour brokers. You currently understand that they constitute not even a significant minority, but they take all the profit margins. That is why he is expressing that perspective. [Applause.]
You must also take into cognisance the fact that we are dealing with the alarmist populists of this world who are going to say a lot of things. The reality and the crux of the matter is that a lot has been done and achieved as well.
Oliver Tambo, the former president of the ANC, once said that a country that does not take care of its youth is a dead nation. We are still considering those words. Because of the Freedom Charter's concept that the "people shall govern", we are here today, charting the way forward and addressing the imbalances of the past. [Applause.]
The former president of the ANC, president Luthuli, once said: "What would I do if I were prime minister?" He noted a lot of concepts and issues. One of those was the hot debate of the nationalisation of mines, the post offices, the banks, land. Hence, the debate today is critical. It is also relevant for us to check that the youth are at the forefront. How do we ensure that they participate in the mainstream economy of this country? We must ensure that the environment is conducive to this. Our government should also intervene with a holistic and inclusive approach. Those issues should be taken into cognisance.
The hon Tau articulated very clearly the issue of free education. It should be tangible. We should come up with the proper strategy going forward. Government has already embarked on that strategy. We should also come up with a proper timeframe and concept.
We must mention that one of our current barriers in society, when we check the epoch, is whose voices are being heard in the South African media. That is another challenge, as the youth will still understand it as being so eurocentric that it ends up polarising issues and shifting our focus. That is why you find that a lot of people are highlighting the wrong concepts. I'm still going to speak about that.
Let me mention specifically that the DA tends to polarise every debate, as if they come with a holistic and useful approach. Look at what happened in the Western Cape. Selective amnesia syndrome is embedded in their systems. They don't come up with concrete things that can address South Africans. In fact, I'm told that they don't even wear proper Bafana Bafana jerseys. They just procure theirs as if they were a federal country. We must address those issues as well. [Interjections.]
It is true, hon Chairperson, that Solomon Mahlangu said, "My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom." Economic freedom in our lifetime should be visible. We must mention that all those things should be taken into cognisance.
Maybe today is the day on which we should make such a necessary assessment: Who are we as South Africans; as the youth of South Africa? Where do we come from? Where are we, and where are we likely to go in terms of the social pattern? Those concepts are the issues that should also be addressed.
Currently, if you talk about the problematic areas that should be addressed in South Africa, they must be named. The five priorities that our government is trying to address ...