Address by Limpopo Premier Mr Sello Moloto on the occasion of Youth Day 2007, Kgapane Stadium, Mopani District

Theme: Age of Hope: Deepening Youth Participation in development

Programme director
Members of Executive Council here present
MPs and MPLs
Executive Mayors present
Councillors
Limpopo Youth Commission Chairperson and other Commissioners
Leaders of Political Parties
Leadership of Youth formations in the province
Veterans of the 1976 youth movement
Young people of Limpopo
Comrades and friends

Theme: "Deepening youth participation through service"

We gather once more on this day to commemorate one of the most historical epochs in our fight against colonialism and apartheid. 16 June 1976 will go down in the annals of history as one of the defining moments of youth heroism in our country. As we pay homage to the generation of young people that paid the highest sacrifice to set us free, we should always bear in mind that the struggle against apartheid was a people's war for which no one can claim sole responsibility nor custodianship. Our people participated through various ways and forms including through mass insurrections, underground resistance, armed struggle, negotiations and international solidarity, hence they carry the responsibility of defending their freedom and democracy.

Programme director, there are many unsung heroes and heroines such as Ngoako Ramalepe and others who are lying in various cemeteries throughout the country. Amongst us here, we even have those who participated in this student uprising from all corners of the country. These veterans and stalwarts of that era can best narrate the story of what happened from 15 June 1976 until 27 April 1994.

History tells us that this generation of young people were fighting against not just Afrikaans as a language, but were against a system of education which had as its objective the production of African people, who were no less than hewers of wood and drawers of water. They were also fighting against cultural enslavement or a system of education which glorifies the history of the oppressor while at the same time trivialising the role played by Africans in the evolution of humanity.

Mobilised under the slogan "freedom or death, victory is certain", the youth of that era succeeded to make the country ungovernable and apartheid unworkable. As a result of the enormous courage and resistance which they demonstrated throughout the 80s, the youth of our country earned themselves the right to be called "the roaring young lions" of Oliver Tambo.

We should be proud as young people of the efforts we have made to bring our country to where it is, and for making June 16 a recognised official holiday in our calendar. You should derive satisfaction from the fact that your perspectives are today accommodated in government and many have even found expression in the Constitution of the land and in other laws.

Since 1994, no one can doubt the great milestones our country has achieved in improving the livelihood of our young people for the better. As a result of the contributions of the youth to the struggle for liberation, young people are now free to take part in politics, in business, in entertainment, in sports and in any other area of human endeavour. In fact our country is hailed all over the world as a shining example of youth empowerment and participation across the globe. South Africa remains one of the few countries in the world where young people continue to play an important role in political and socio-economic spheres of their country.

In the last 13 years, we have been addressing young people's concerns and challenges through mainstreaming them in various departments and parastatals as overall challenges of development. In actual fact, the bulk of government's work and strategies is focused and directed at young people and those who are most vulnerable in our society. You should be aware that there are a number of government departments which are doing their utmost through Extended Public Works Programme and other programmes to develop young people in various areas. Their interventions are to be found in the areas of HIV/AIDS counselling, early childhood development, poverty alleviation and entrepreneurial support. To this end, our departments and municipalities have appointed 679 Youth Development Officers who are charged with the responsibility of mainstreaming these youth development programmes.

In the last thirteen years, we have also seen major steps being taken to ensure that access to social security for the poor is increased and the doors of learning and teaching are opened to all. Over and above the primary school feeding scheme, government is subsidizing over 2 300 schools in the province as no-fee-paying schools, which means that learners do not pay school fees to attend these identified schools. If resources permit, we hope to increase the number of schools that are benefiting from this programme in order to cover more learners whose parents cannot afford to send them to school.

Programme director, we are highly pleased to report to you that the province is making good progress with regard to the implementation of the National Youth Service programme. So far we have registered 1 964 youth volunteers on the provincial National Youth Service database in line with the directive by the President to enlist 20 000 volunteers on the National Youth Service programme. This programme offers an opportunity for young people to become creators of their own jobs and to learn new skills and patriotic values while at the same time contributing to the well-being of their communities.

We have also taken measures to increase access to information for the majority of young people living in outlying areas. There are already 15 operational Youth Advisory Centres across the province which can be visited by any young person who needs information on careers, employment, and on how to start up a business.

The internship and learnership programmes have succeeded a great deal in drawing significant numbers of unemployed graduates and young people into the world of work. The number of new intakes has increased by 206 from 1 124 in 2006 to 1 330 this year. This programme will continue and we will ensure that interns who complete this programme are placed permanently as employees in various departments. For the past year alone, we have already placed 168 interns in various provincial departments. In the same period we also awarded bursaries to 2 256 young people in various areas of scarce skills.

Programme director, you will all agree that one of the overstated challenges facing the economy of our country has been the need for high level scarce and priority skills for economic growth and development.

You should all be familiar with the fact that, today's goods and services have become value added, requiring more artisans and technicians to gain training in science, math and computer technology. It is for this reason that the Joint Initiative for Skills Acquisition would need by 2010 over 50 000 artisans to service the various sectors of our economy in engineering, construction and information and communication technology. What has been driving this demand for skills over the years has been the rapid growth of new technology and the fact that many of our artisans and technicians are aging, meaning that they are fast reaching their retirement age.

We therefore need more young people to consider lifetime careers as plumbers, bricklayers, welders, electricians, motor mechanics, and boilermakers in order that you can become employable and are able to create jobs for yourself. These skills are also critical for our country to reach the required 6% growth and to make a dent on unemployment and poverty. In this regard, our youth formations have got a critical role to play in making young people understand the value of vocational training and technical skills in the context of a growing economy which is service and knowledge based. The fact of the matter is that graduates from Further Education and Training institutions have proven not only to be highly employable in the labour market but have also demonstrated capabilities of creating their own jobs. Days have gone by when we use to regard youth entrepreneurship as an option available only to school dropouts and those who are unable to find work. Without skills and sufficient levels of competencies, our ambitions to grow the economy and develop our people are doomed and would forever remain a pipedream.

Programme director, as the theme for this year's Youth Development Month say, our youth have an obligation to deepen participation in their communities through service. This requires that we volunteer our skills in order to fill up all the necessary gaps that make it difficult for our people to achieve a better life for all.

An occasion such as this one, affords us the opportunity to remind each other about not only the rights that we enjoy, but also our responsibilities and obligations towards our democracy. It is a well known fact that, our democracy affords all citizens every avenue for making their voices heard without resorting to actions that infringe on the rights of others, or which cause injury to persons and damage to property. Therefore, by virtue of the role which you have played in the past, history has bestowed upon you the responsibility to become conscious actors who must take equal and full responsibility for governance wherever you are. Our commitment to this democracy must be seen not only through words or singing, but also through our practical involvement in voluntary work and activities which seek to bring development in the lives of our people. This is a civic duty which society has bestowed upon every citizen including young people. We therefore encourage you to take part in local and community structures, such as community-policing forums and local economic development/ integrated development planning consultations forums in order to make your voices heard.

Our regular interactions with young people through Imbizos and "Executive Council meets the people campaigns" have awoken us to the realities which many young people face and worry about. One of the most important lessons we are learning is that despite the youth being the most dynamic, energetic, vibrant and talented of the sectors of our society, they continually find themselves vulnerable, excluded and marginalised.

We know that in most cases, if the youth are not victims of crime, they are usually the perpetrators. Many have filled up prison cells, and they also make up the majority of those involved in substance abuse. One of the reasons why we have got escalating crime in our communities is because communities themselves have provided criminals with safe markets for stolen goods like cell phones and TVs, which are regarded as cheap goods in the black market.

Crime in the country has also been mentioned many a times as one of the major obstacles that can spoil the success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup games if enough is not done to protect the safety of visitors and spectators. However, we are relieved to learn that already 200 young people are currently being trained as police reservists and anti-crime ambassadors for this World event which is to be staged in our country. We should always bear in mind that the world would be looking upon us during this period, especially on how we receive and treat our guests who would have arrived to participate in these games. Failure to provide adequate security and to conduct ourselves in a courteous manner will compromise the image of both our country and its people for many years to come.

Programme director, we also wish to take this opportunity to remind our youth about the dangers of HIV and AIDS which is a deadly disease that is killing many of our people. Of particular concern is that this disease is threatening the lives of the most economically active population of our country who are young, thereby seriously undermining all of the gains which our country has made in the short period of 13 years.

Teenage pregnancy on the other hand remains one of the critical challenges facing young female learners in our country and needs to be addressed. In this regard we believe that there is a need to step up vocational and career guidance lessons in schools in order that learners have role models and are motivated enough to know which careers they would want to pursue once they finish schooling. Whilst the ultimate responsibility lies with the learners to take care of themselves, parents and teachers on the other hand also have the responsibility to provide parental care and guidance at all times.

Programme director, the challenges faced by young people of today are in many ways different from those which were faced by the youth of 1976. While it was easy to make the country ungovernable during apartheid, through petrol bombs and limpet mines, the task to rebuild the country has however become more huge and complex. It requires much more than singing slogans and toyi-toying. It requires a new breed of young people who are conscious of themselves and their roles but also armed with vital knowledge and skills.

Once again, we wish to call upon the youth of our country to come forward and occupy the forward trenches of the struggle to intensify the offensive against ignorance, lack of skills, poverty, diseases and underdevelopment.

This requires that we rid ourselves of mental colonisation which reduces us to nothing more than conspicuous consumers of designer labels and goods. The challenge also requires us to uphold moral regeneration and to cherish the teachings of ubuntu or human solidarity. Our youth must be proud of who they are as young citizens of the continent. You should not seek to be identified through any other identity other than being called children of Africa. This consciousness should be reflected in the manner in which you behave in the face of difficult challenges which our country is confronting.

Like your predecessors did, you too can rise to the occasion and help us to keep the flame of freedom and democracy burning.

I thank you

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Limpopo Provincial Government
16 June 2007