Whenever I rise to speak to any group of people, I pray the same prayer to the
Almighty: "Lord, use me for Your glory." I know that I stand at this podium by
the grace of God. I serve in a high position in my country by the grace of God.
I am a father and husband, by the grace of God. It is Him who empowers and
strengthens me; Him who equips me and leads me; Him who gives me breath and
guides me continually. I am totally dependent on the Lord Almighty.

This relationship I have had with my Maker for more than seventy years was
nurtured in quiet reflection, study and prayer. It was consolidated by every
answered prayer, every act of God and every miracle I have witnessed over the
years. But it was also nourished at appointed moments among a group of seekers
and Believers, coming together to listen to men and women of God share their
experiences, their insight and their faith. Church conferences are unique and
fertile soil for growing a relationship with God.

I know that church conferences, particularly youth conferences, have had an
impact on our nation, as lives are changed, relationships restored and families
healed through these appointed moments. So when KwaSizabantu Mission invited me
to celebrate 40 years of youth conferences, and to thank the Lord for what He
has done through these 40 years, I was excited to do that. I join you today with
a heart full of gratitude, both towards KwaSizabantu and the men and women of
God who have facilitated all these conferences, as well as towards the Lord for
how He has used this fertile ground.

I have enjoyed a long friendship with KwaSizabantu Mission and have worshipped
here many times. I am aware of the good and powerful work being done in this
place, which is both practical and spiritual. I admire the servants of the Lord
who labour in this place, reaching out to those in need and providing an example
of the Lord's love. I think that is often more powerful than simply providing
food or shelter or even vocational training. More than any other need in our
nation, there is need for the dignity that comes with being treated as valuable,
worthy and significant.

As we reflect on 40 years of youth conferences, I want to thank KwaSizabantu
Mission for persevering through all manner of hardship and challenges. Over the
years since 1974, the youth of our nation have faced changing circumstances as
the political landscape of our country transformed. But the central message
conveyed in youth conferences has been constant; that you are part of the
solution, you have a role to play, and God has designed you for a purpose.

This is a message that every young South African should hear. It will resonate
with what the Lord has already placed in their hearts, for I think every young
person senses that there is something unique they can contribute, if given the
chance, whether they know what that something is or not. Youth conferences open
the opportunity for hungry young people to feed on truth, faith, hope and
inspiration. It's a nourishing diet that can change the trajectory of a life.

I have no doubt that the youth conferences of KwaSizabantu Mission have
literally saved lives, by offering young people a reason to live and by showing
them a better way. I also have no doubt that those who attended the youth
conferences of the seventies and eighties would be able, today, to pinpoint what
changed in their way of thinking and how it affected the path they took to where
they are today. God uses youth conferences, and He uses them for His glory.

There is a unique energy and potential within young people that can be
channelled to good, or focussed towards destruction. I have seen this in
schools, which is why I led the then KwaZulu Government to include a subject
called Ubuntu Botho in the school curriculum when I was Chief Minister in the
seventies and eighties. From school level I wanted young people to learn about
good citizenship, how to participate effectively in the social compact and how
to contribute to the wellbeing of their country.

While many youth across South Africa heeded the call during apartheid to burn
down their schools, abandon their education and engage an all-out campaign of
violence and chaos, many young people in KwaZulu chose to keep studying and
maintain discipline, preparing themselves to competently lead and administer a
liberated country. They were no less fervent about freedom and no less committed
to the liberation struggle. But they understood that how you get through a trial
matters. Is your character intact at the end of a period of hardship?

The organisation I founded in 1975, Inkatha yeNkululeko yeSizwe, called on young
people to develop good character and to become independent, disciplined and
productive. Like KwaSizabantu, the IFP has focussed on youth for four decades.
Right from the start, we held youth camps and trained young people to make a
positive contribution in their community. So I have experienced first-hand how
consistent sowing into young South Africans, year upon year, yields unimaginable
fruits.

Unfortunately, I see now, in the present political climate, how the youth of our
country is being nudged towards entitlement and a provoking attitude. Combative
aggression is being modelled by some leaders, while other leaders abdicate their
responsibility to model integrity and servant leadership. Young people are left
with few good role models, and there is a growing threat that the youth of South
Africa will buy into the idea that it is all about them.

Don't get me wrong. I value our nation's youth and I recognise the critical role
they play in the health, prosperity and progress of our country. But if young
people are taught to believe that their needs must be met at all costs, because
their individual happiness is more important than anything else; we are setting
them up for hardship.

I am sympathetic to the youth of today.  I believe that you face far more
daunting challenges than people of my generation at your age.

Our Constitution is for example so perfect that when I was in the Cabinet, a
colleague of mine in the Cabinet said to me we have put together such a
Constitution that makes it difficult for us to control crime.  I am stating this
because our Constitution is so liberal that we outlawed correction of young
people through corporal punishment which also contributed much in the lives of
many people of my generation.  I remember that when the bill that abolished
corporal punishment came before Cabinet, when I was in Mr Nelson Mandela's
Cabinet, I said to other Cabinet Ministers that Mr Mandela himself would not be
sitting where he sat  as our President if he did not get corporal punishment
meted out to him.  Madiba reacted to my remark by saying; "He is right, he is
right, he is right."  However, we proceeded to process that legislation
outlawing corporal punishment consonant with the provisions of our Constitution,
so the words of the Proverbs have no meaning for your generation which say:
"Spare the rod and spoil the child."

We did not have challenges that your generation have, and it is only here at
KwaSizabantu that children who are educated here have the chance of getting the
Christian background which gives them a solid foundation for their characters.

I am sad that two of my grandchildren failed to receive this wonderful
background here at KwaSizabantu.  Neither of them is doing well where they are.
In fact a few weeks ago I received the report of the Principal of a high school
where one of them is a learner.  I was shocked to learn that the Principal was
complaining about the fact that most of the children's computers are full of
pornography.  He also reported in this report to us as parents that taxi-owners
who ferry these children in their taxis are complaining that some of these
students indulge in sexual acts in their presence.

This is what I mean that I commiserate with you because of these challenges that
you face in today's world.  We did not face such challenges to the same extent.
Yes, there was the temptation to abuse alcohol by some but even then it did not
happen to this extent.  Just for you to have an example, I had my university
education at Fort Hare University.  Even at that stage we were not allowed to
bring liquor into the college.  I remember vividly how at the Assembly hall one
student was told to leave the University for having brought a bottle of gin to
the university.

Consider what happened to the children born into the government-mandated
single-child homes of China. When that first generation reached marrying age,
divorce began to skyrocket in China. These children had never learned to
compromise or put themselves second. They were raised to believe that their
needs were central, and faced with the selflessness required by a marriage, they
were ill-equipped to succeed.

This is simply an example of what happens when we don't teach young people the
skills they need for happy and successful lives, opting rather to supply
whatever they believe they need right now to attain happiness. The most valuable
lesson an individual can learn, whether young or old, is that it's not about me.
It's about something much bigger, something infinitely more important, that I
can be a part of if I understand the goal.

This is what youth conferences at KwaSizabantu Mission have taught for 40 years.
There is an overarching narrative of the gospel that each of us needs to place
ourselves within. God's plan for human history is far greater than any one of
our lives. It is not about me. But I have the incredible privilege of being part
of His plan and of aligning myself with what He is working out on this earth, in
this generation, in this place, right now.

What a privilege that is. I pray that as young people continue to come to
KwaSizabantu Mission and as youth conferences here continue, many will find
their place in the overarching narrative of the gospel and position themselves
to become a part of God's greater plan. I pray that lives will continue to be
changed, that many more relationships will be restored, and that countless
families will be healed in the years to come.

Thank you to the men and women who have made these conferences possible. It is a
service unto God and a great service to our nation.