Hon Chairperson, His Excellency the President of the Republic of South Africa, Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, members of the National Assembly, ladies and gentlemen ... ndi masiari [... good afternoon].
I think my colleague, hon member Ndude, is going to learn with the process that we should focus on the ball and not on the people. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
Mongameli wezwe, intsha yoMzansi Afrika iphumile ngobuningi ngomhlaka 22 Apreli iyovota, ivotela uKhongolose wabantu futhi yethemba ukuthi ikusasa layo lizoqhakaza ngoba ... (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[President of the country, the youth of South Africa went out in their numbers to vote for the African National Congress on 22 April, hoping that their future will be bright because ...]
They believed that "ANC rocks for sure!" and that "ANC is cool!" [Applause.] This was to defend the gains of our democracy and our revolution.
In 11 days' time, we will be commemorating 33 years of the June 16 Uprising. The launch of this agency on June 16 gives hope to young people in South Africa in terms of what has been raised as concerns around the issue of inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the National Youth Commission and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund. It is a signal that the ANC-led government is able to listen to young people.
This launch signals new hope for all young people of South Africa, black and white. [Applause.] It gives the young people of South Africa an opportunity to grow, develop and learn. The mandate of the institution itself will be to initiate, design, co-ordinate, evaluate and monitor all programmes aimed at integrating youth into the economy and into the society at large. The agency will play an instrumental role in ensuring that young people are self-reliant and do not rely on government alone to be able to have a better life.
It will ensure that departments develop policies that are friendly towards procurement from young people, and also that, as government, we take young SMMEs seriously, so that we continue to create jobs for young people. The success of the agency will be measured by the extent to which young people contribute positively to the developmental state, and hence it will be critical to ensure support for young entrepreneurs.
I would also like to appeal to provincial governments to fast-track the repeal of the National Youth Commission legislation, so that they make way for the implementation of the National Youth Development Agency Act, 2008. We cannot delay the development of young people any longer. [Applause.]
We have seen the success of the first phase of the Expanded Public Works Programme and the National Youth Service Programme, as a tool to absorb young people into the economic system. More than 20 000 young people have received offers locally, and 700 have been placed internationally in the work placement programme. We are looking forward to the success of the second phase of the EPWP, which will create 500 000 jobs by December this year, and 4 million jobs by 2014. We believe that the ANC-led government is going to deliver on this. [Applause.]
Hon members, rural development will not be sustainable if young people do not become a key element of it. We need to ensure that we cut the cycle of poverty in rural areas and that young people do not inherit poverty, but are able to be absorbed within the economic system in their own areas. Young people in rural areas are often forced to leave their areas in search of better opportunities in urban areas such as Johannesburg. They end up being exploited and abused. This needs to stop, as we are encouraging them to be part of the rural development in their areas. We appeal to young people that, as these rural development projects come to their areas, they should take the opportunity to develop their own areas.
In 1953, when Hendrik Verwoerd was addressing the Senate, he said, and I quote:
The native will be taught from childhood to realise that equality with Europeans is not for him. There is no place for the Bantu child above the level of certain forms of labour. Until now, he has been subjected to a school system which drew him away from his own community and misled him by showing him the green pastures of European society in which he was not allowed to graze.
We need to deal with the legacy of apartheid in our education system, in basic and tertiary education. The Freedom Charter promises that the "Doors of Learning and Culture Shall be Opened to all". [Applause.] Working together, we can do more in our societies in terms of education. We need to work together, parents fulfilling their responsibilities, taking the initiative and being part of the school governing bodies; teachers being in classes, being responsible and doing what they are expected to do; and learners themselves being responsible and committing themselves to their education. This can be achieved if we work together as a society.
Bont?i bja baswa ba Afrika-Borwa ba phela ka tlase ga kgatelelo le tshokolo. Bont? i bja bao ba lego dinagengmagae ba fet?a mphato wa marematlou gomme ba palelwa ke go t?wet?a dithuto pele ka lebaka la gore ba sa kgone go fihlelela thuto ya ka godimo. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[Most South African youth are subjected to oppression and poverty. Most of those who live in rural areas are unable to further their studies after completing matric because they cannot afford higher education.]
Mr President, tertiary education cannot continue being a luxury in our country. There is a need to have serious engagement with institutions to ensure that students do not drop out of institutions because of lack of financial support. [Applause.] The National Student Financial Aid Scheme also needs to exhaust its entire budget allocation each and every year.
In the previous financial year, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme was not able to exhaust its funds, despite the fact that a lot of young people continue to drop out of tertiary institutions because of financial exclusions. This is cause for concern. We need to look into this institution to ensure its effectiveness and review it so that it is able to support young people.
Resourcing of training institutions and refocusing them is a critical tool that we should use for young people who are dropping out of high school and are not able to be absorbed back into the education or schooling system. This category of young people is also an important group in society, because this group mainly falls between the ages of 20 and 29. They are out of the schooling system, they are not absorbed by the tertiary education system, and they are unskilled. If we don't focus on them, we will face a bleak future because these are young people who need to contribute to the economy of South Africa. So we need to look at this.
Mr President, I am happy that you spoke about resourcing and revitalising the training institutions as well. Despite many efforts to ensure youth development and empowerment, many young people are still facing challenges, one of which is experimentation with alcohol and drugs. Often, this leads them to being involved in crime. The implementation of the Child Justice Bill is critical, as it will assist with the issue of children in conflict with the law. We need to ensure that these children are rehabilitated and that they don't eventually become hardcore criminals. It is their constitutional right that children should not be detained, except as a measure of last resort. I know, Mr President, that this Bill was passed last year, and therefore it is critical that, as Parliament, we ensure that its implementation becomes a success.
The President, yesterday, committed to improve implementation of the comprehensive plan for treatment management and care for HIV and Aids, and further to reduce new infections by 50% by 2011. Young people can play their part by being responsible and ensuring that we strive to achieve an HIV-free generation. We need to work together with the ANC-led government in ensuring that this target becomes a reality. [Applause.]
Maitshwaro a rona jwaloka batjha ke ona a tla etsa hore re kgone ho fihlella mona. [As the youth, it is our behaviour that will enable us to reach this point.]
As part of social cohesion and promoting a healthy lifestyle, there is a need to ensure that all sporting codes exist, even in previously disadvantaged communities. We need to ensure that young people, even in black communities, are exposed to sporting codes such as tennis and cricket. These should not continue to exist elsewhere and not in these communities. We cannot continue perpetuating the legacy of apartheid, where black South African children were only exposed to sporting codes such as soccer and netball.
The hon President highlighted yesterday that sport should become part of the curriculum. I hope that indigenous sporting codes will also become part of the curriculum, as part of restoring and promoting our heritage and culture as South Africans.
South Africans will be hosting the 2009 Confederations Cup in less than 10 days. We need to come out in numbers with our energy and vibrancy as young people to support this tournament and make it a most memorable one for our guests and Fifa. We are a truly unique country, rich in diversity and heritage. This is the South Africa that the world should experience when they come here.
Sepedi se re moeng tla ka ge?o re je ka wena. [There is a saying in Sepedi that it is always a pleasure when visitors are around.]
Young people need to make use of the opportunities that will exist during this tournament and grab them. We need to come out in numbers to support our South African team, Bafana Bafana. We wish them well in the tournament. We trust that they will do us proud during this tournament.
In conclusion, as we move forward, it is important that we understand that a true national, democratic society can only be achieved when the youth have been fully emancipated from the fetters of the past which continue to truncate their development. There should be a clear intention which manifests itself in progressive programmes to empower the youth. The youth of our country have always been loyal to the objective of the revolution. They need to be harnessed, mobilised and engaged in the journey to a truly united, democratic, nonracial and nonsexist South Africa. It is the duty of the ANC to reverse the damage done to the youth by the apartheid system. Ndza khensa. [I thank you.] [Applause.]