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The Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) composed of the African National
Congress Youth League (ANCYL), Young Communist League of South Africa
(YCLSA), South African Students Congress (SASCO) and Congress of the South
African Students (COSAS) met at the African National Congress Headquarters, Luthuli House on Monday, 27th August 2012 to chart a joint political
programme to deal with the challenges facing the youth of South Africa and
the responses thereof as part of our revolutionary responsibilities.

We recognize that we are aligned not by personalities but our commitment
and character in revolution. We are approaching the same destination
despite our differences on what the destination should ultimately shape
out to be. Our differences should never be allowed to overshadow or derail
this relationship we share, one that has been forged in the trenches we have
shared and will continue to share until we achieve a united, non racial,
non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.


*On Youth Unemployment*

The meeting noted that the challenges facing our people particularly the
youth are historical and structural in nature and reflect the effects of
colonial-apartheid development that penetrate deeply into our society.
Youth Unemployment is not particular to South Africa; however we recognize
that we have to ensure that we make interventions in the short and medium
term whilst charting a long term strategy to deal with this ticking time
bomb urgently.

The meeting resolved that a programme must be developed that will speak to
the ideological characterization and nature of the problem of youth
unemployment as desk top approaches will never clearly deal with the real
challenges we face; and must further look into the types of interventions
to be made on youth unemployment and this to be adopted at the next PYA
Summit. A Task Team including representatives of all PYA components have
been appointed that will look into the matter and prepare its submissions
to the Secretariat before the PYA Summit.


*On Youth Development*

We recognise that youth development remains at its lowest and we need to
ensure that it is placed at the centre of all developmental objectives of
our nation. We looked into the role of the institutions of youth
development, namely the South African Youth Council (SAYC) and the
National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and whether they are still fulfilling
their mandates or whether they have the necessary capacity to deliver on their
mandates.


SAYC remains an important umbrella body of civil society youth and has the
capacity to drive programmes of advocating and lobbying for youth
development as an apolitical institution representing all youth
formations. However SAYC has been plagued by historical challenges that may have
weakened its capacity to deliver on its mandate and the PYA has at times
due to its components differences neglected its role and this has to change.


The NYDA has been plagued by a lot of controversies and bad publicity
whether founded or unfounded; its role as the government agency
responsible for youth development has at times been weakened by inadequate funding
disturbing its programmes and in certain instances ,weaknesses in the
appointments to some provincial advisory boards. We therefore resolved
that we need the President to appoint a collective board with capacity and
youth development orientation being a priority.

We shared concerns on the Integrated Youth Development Strategy location
and implementation as this has further added to the ineffectiveness of the
NYDA. It is important that the strategy is accepted as the primary driver
of the National Youth Policy implementation and that so long as this fact
is neglected we lose an opportunity to make the necessary interventions in
the lives of the youth of South Africa. The PYA Summit will place youth
development at the centre and ensure that we revive the youth development>fraternity to combat the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and
unemployment; of which the youth are the hard hit.


*On the SRC Elections and Higher education*

In the recent past there has been an emergence of contestations in
campuses by our structures and in many instances it has affected our ability to
lead students' struggles and to assert hegemony as the PYA. This norm that has
been on an increase need to be curbed and we agreed on a joint programme
to intervene in the campuses that are facing such challenges and to develop
mechanisms to ensure that in future this does not happen.

We are aligned due to our common programme and there is no need for
further contestations by our structures. The PYA will develop a joint programme
that will ensure even lower structures understand the character and nature
of the PYA; this will ensure the constant monitoring and evaluation of
SRCs, development of common manifesto and organising joint campaigns where
our structures exist. We further resolved that in institutions of higher
learning and further training, components of the PYA shall actively
encourage unity and discourage any contestations amongst their structures
with SASCO playing a leading role.

The PYA will rally all youth including young academics and workers behind
the banner of the mass democratic movement.


*On the Support to Wits Workers*

The national and branch leadership of the PYA met with the leadership of
NEHAWU at Wits University for a briefing and an update on the negotiations
and the way forward on the dispute that has been lodged by NEHAWU and the
worker alliance. We noted that the University is still racist in its
approach towards the workers and their demands and it has an exploitative
and intransigent approach to workers and the university community at
large.

The university's attitude to force implementation of unilateral decisions
post negotiations over the years has to stop and be exposed; workers basic
demands which include child care facilities, adequate parking, increased
wages and shift allowance have to be addressed if there is to be progress.

The PYA will support any decision the consultative process of the unions
will take to ensure workers demands are met and that includes making sure
the university comes to a standstill. We will ensure the issues of workers
are escalated to Council as management has proved itself inadequate to
addressing worker demands and taking interests of the Wits community at
heart. It is unfortunate that the same management which declares lack of
funds afford to pay themselves nonsensical millions whilst the heartbeat
of the university still gets meagre peanuts in the face of increased costs of
living.

We further received a briefing from the Wits Workers Solidarity Committee
which represents interests of the outsourced workers at Wits University.
The issue of Royal Mnandi exploiting workers on campus and the institution
turning a blind eye to such exposes its disrespect for human rights; the
university further exploits this workers through the use of separate
entrances and by denying them rights of movement and gathering in the
university. We will await the decision of the CCMA on the matter and
respond post such on this matter.

We also support the striking students at the Tshwane University of
Technology who have been on strike since the violation of their rights by
the university which also brutally unleashed violence against students
instead of finding amicable solutions to the crisis at hand.


*On the PYA Summit*

The PYA Secretariat will meet and deal with the planning of an urgent PYA
Summit that will look into our relations focusing on the joint political
programme we need to develop focusing particularly on issues of youth
unemployment, youth development and education.