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26 Jun, 2020
Youth Power – Growing South Africa together in a time of Covid-19
Honourable Chairperson Honourable Members Fellow South Africans The United Democratic Movement Youth Vanguard (UDMYV) salutes the frontline workers and those in healthcare who place their lives in the firing line, fighting the invisible enemy. We also would like to convey our deepest condolences to the families of those South Africans who have succumbed to the Coronavirus. The UDMYV also congratulates Prof Zeblon Vilakazi on being appointed as Chancellor of Wits University. We believe that adequate transformation will be seen at that institution. Honourable Chairperson, it is almost a decade since the inception of the first sitting of the South African Youth Parliament in 2011, an initiative that was welcomed by the UDM Youth Vanguard. Young people had gathered in this house to deliberate on the issues affecting young people, ranging from economic participation, prejudice, inequality, racism, sexism, classism, ableism, and unemployment. Little did we know that today we would gather in this house and still deliberate the very same issues, still seeking solutions. In fact, we now know, and Covid-19 has proven, that government has not been serious about solving our challenges as youth. The UDM Youth Vanguard believes that we find ourselves barely existing in a society of crumbs, whilst the rich, connected elite and the politically powerful enjoy themselves at the expense of the poor masses. Twenty-six years into democracy and South Africa ranks as one of the most unequal societies in the world, with the formerly oppressed still having no opportunities and living in squalor. Our mostly geriatric cabinet has no clue how to deal with young people or their plight. We have for years said that it is necessary to have young people in all kinds of decision-making positions. It is of no use to appoint a token young person as a minister who does not even deal with youth matters. Youth unemployment has increased dramatically because of the Covid-19 lockdown and the end is not in sight. Another thing the pandemic has proven, is our country’s lack of innovation and research tools. South Africa will need an economic repositioning, which focuses on youth and skills development. We no longer want to hear lip service; we want rigorous action. We must get past the stumbling blocks that hamper our progress as young people. As it stands our education system does not adequately prepare young people for the future, or the job market, it needs a massive overhaul. It generates dropouts and perpetual jobseekers. The UDM Youth Vanguard believes that there must be a greater focus on building young people to be job-creators – skilling them to, for instance, be innovators and artisans, work the land and produce food and start small businesses that can grow. Such a transformed education system must speak to today’s needs considering the current industrial revolution. We note that young graduates sit at home hoping for a better, viable economic homeland. Their NSFAS debts are accumulating interest, meaning even if they are employed, they are already sinking in financial deficits. The UDMYV proposes that government must be obliged to hire those who they invest in. Failing which, if a graduate sits for over 5 years being unemployed, his/her debt must be scratched. We further propose that for every R250 000.00 spent by government, must be equal to one graduate employed. Lastly, the UDM Youth Vanguard has a lingering question for President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Lindiwe Zulu. Where is their R350 Social Distress Relief Fund monies? Aphi ama R350 of the unemployed siyawafuna maqabane, the promise was made in April and still today millions of young people sifile yindlala, siphatshe imilomo as such millions of young South Africans are without data and do not have the privilege to watch this session on a paid television platform. We want the R350 to be a permanent grant for the unemployed and it should be increased to at least R1000 a month. I thank you.
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08 Oct, 2013
Youth at the centres of economic Opportunities
Address by Mr Stanley Ntapane, MP in the Parliamentary Youth Day Debate: Youth at the centres of economic Opportunities (04 June 2013) Mr Speaker and honourable Members, We commemorate Youth Day at a time when youth unemployment in South Africa has reached crisis levels. Facts and statistics on unemployment from Statistics South Africa’s latest Labour Force Survey show that unemployment for people between the ages of 15-34 in South Africa stands at 70.7 per cent. This means that more young people are idle than ever before. Mister Speaker, This high rate of youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb that threatens to worsen political instability in South Africa, as millions of young people are not only jobless but have also lost hope about ever finding a job. There are numerous contributing factors to this challenge. The most obvious one, however, is the poor quality of our basic education system. The South African education system is failing to equip our youth with basic skills. Unless Government improves the education system, unemployment will be an albatross around our necks for many years to come. Whilst fixing our education system is a medium to long-term project, there are a number of immediate interventions Government can make to remove the youth from the periphery of economic activity. For instance, in some developing countries Governments invest significant resources in the professionalisation and development of informal sector businesses. This has helped to reduce youth unemployment and unemployment in general and could work in South Africa as well. We are aware that channelling youth to the informal sector is not a panacea for the youth unemployment problem, but it does serve as an important source employment. Furthermore, a thriving informal sector would ensure that the youth are able to contribute to the economy, albeit less effectively than they could be. However, such measures are possible only if Government depoliticises youth development organisations, such as the National Youth Development Agency in order to ensure that they effectively discharge their mandates. All in all, to diminish the chronic youth unemployment problem, Government needs to adopt economic policies that ignite economic growth and build an education system capable of unleashing the potential of the South African economy. Thank you.
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08 Oct, 2013
Youth Day
Address by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP (UDM President) at a UDM Youth Day Rally, on Sunday, 16 June 2013 at Blybank Taxi Rank (Carletonville, Gauteng) Members of the UDM NEC; Presidents of the UDM Youth Vanguard and Women’s Organisation UDM Public Representatives Fellow UDM members and supporters and Young South Africans WELCOME Thank you to each person who took the time to celebrate Youth Day with the United Democratic Movement (UDM) today. To the UDM structures in Gauteng, thank you for the hard work. To our Secretary General, Mr Bongani Msomi, our National Treasurer, Mrs Thandi Nontenja, a special thank you for the time and effort you invested to make today a success. YOUTH DAY 2013 Every year we commemorate the sacrifices made by our youth on 16 June 1976 in the Soweto. The iconic picture of Hector Pieterson, brought home to many people, within and outside South Africa, the unfairness and brutality of the Apartheid regime. What happened that day is a testimony to the innate strength and tenacity of young South Africans. Our youth knows what is right, and what is wrong. They have the courage to stick to their convictions and stand their ground in the face of terrible odds. The UDM is convinced that the youth of today, across racial lines, is capable of consolidating and protecting the order that was ushered in after all the suffering, sacrifice and dedication. SOUTH AFRICA TODAY Yes, we have attained political freedom, but much still needs to be done to realise the dreams and the aspirations of our fallen heroes and heroines. When we assess South Africa since 1994 we need to ask: “Are South Africans more free in 2013?”. Or, has past eighteen years of unemployment undermined our hard won freedom? Despite the major strides that have been made, unemployment is ever increasing; poverty and homelessness are everywhere, crime holds people hostage in their homes, our hospitals have become places of death, our education system fails to provide adequate skills for employment and the majority is still without property. To add insult to this list of injuries, our Government wastes millions-upon-millions of Rands to pay consultants to tell them what “the realities are” – as if they cannot see with our own eyes. These so-called consultants come with their “cut-and-paste solutions” that are a mere regurgitation of their proposed solutions of last year (and the year before). Of the projects that find their way to implementation, the majority are of such poor quality, they have to hire more consultants to tell them they have failed. Of course it makes sense, if you are a card-carrying member of the ruling party, to register such a “consultancy”. Become a tenderpreneur and build a bridge to nowhere or, even better, hire a boyfriend, or a wife and a few mzalas to “share in the profits” at the expense of our people. THE UDM’s PROPOSAL FOR AN ECONOMIC INDABA South Africans, young and old, daily ask some of the following questions: Why have subsidies, intended to help labour intensive industries, disappeared? Why was our skilled and unskilled labour force never absorbed into labour intensive industries? Why did the promise of thousands of job opportunities never realised; and why has government failed to combat poverty and joblessness? Why was the dream of free education, which was promised in 1994, never realised? Why do hospitals and clinics run out of medicines, and lack proper equipment? Why do doctors, nurses, teachers and civil servants (such as soldiers and police officers) earn paltry salaries and why do they leave for greener pastures? Why do we loose billions of Rands because of the capital and skills flight – with one in four young South Africans wanting to leave? Why are our infrastructure, government buildings and roads falling apart? and Why, most importantly, is the gap between the rich and poor still widening? These are all legitimate questions and the UDM has been advocating for an Economic Indaba to be hosted to find solutions to these fundamental challenges. The UDM wants all stakeholders, especially the youth, to participate in such an Indaba, for it is the youth that will inherit this mess. It is therefore the youth of today, who should claim their space and devise the solutions of tomorrow. WE CAN COMPLAIN FOREVER, BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING? It is a fact that many things are wrong, or they could be better, in South Africa. We could, however, stand here for hours-and-hours complaining, whinging and whining about our lot and how unfair things are. I am not saying we should not complain, of course we should, because South Africans have a contract with their Government called the Constitution. Just as we citizens are accountable for our actions, so our government must be held accountable. We will keep making noise; speaking our minds and making our feelings known to those who lead us. But, we must draw the line somewhere in the sand and say: “You know what; I am going to make this work! I, as a young South African, take charge of my destiny.” DO WHAT MR HOLOMISA? Be practical, get issue orientated. Do not wait for the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) to fight your battles, for they will not. Their track record speaks volumes. NYDA will rather spend hundreds and thousands of Rands on party supplies and, this week, they did not even pitch for their meeting with Members of Parliament. Are these people, who pretend to be youth leaders, fit represent you? For those of you who are graduates from, technikons and universities, it is high time that you make the effort to swell ranks of decision-makers in Government. Become servants of your communities and peers, by making yourselves available as councillors, Members of Legislatures and/or Parliament. Don’t stay on the sidelines and be mere spectators. The current crop of leaders in the ruling party is only interested in one thing, using the remainder of their terms to get rich at your expense. Do not put all your eggs in one basket and wait for the older generation, of which I am part, to make decisions for you. You need to be in the thick of things, roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty by tilling the soil of your own prosperous futures. TAKE WHAT IS GOOD FROM THE PAST Young people, you have reached a crossroads, much the same (in some respects) as the youth of 1976 faced themselves. Not only are there too many South Africans who are marginalised by the government of the day, but they are so very desperate for Government’s attention that they resort to violent civil disobedience. As you stand here today, you must ensure that you are at the vanguard to demand transformation of the economy. In 1976, the Soweto youth stood up for themselves and conveyed their unhappiness loud and clear, the tragedy that followed was not of their making. Their goal was noble and good; they wanted to show a government that did not care, that it should listen to the young people of South Africa. Do not sit around for another eighteen years, before taking a stand, because if you do, we might have this very same conversation in 2031 when I am stuck in an old age home. WHERE TO FROM HERE? This is the message I want you to leave with today. Stand up, make your voices heard, claim your space and if you don’t like what the ruling party is doing, vote with your feet. Don’t wait for the powers that be to change the current situation. They have not done so in eighteen years, and they will take another eighteen years if you allow them to abuse you and you will be left to explain to your . Thank you.
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08 Oct, 2013
National Youth Day Commemorations
Address by Mr Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, UDM Deputy Secretary General, at the National Youth Day Commemorations, at eMadadeni, Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday, 16 June 2013 Programme Director, Mister President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers; All protocol observed, Fellow South Africans: Much has been achieved in the development of young people since the advent of democracy in 1994. However, it should concern us that today we commemorate the 37th anniversary of June 16 1976 against the backdrop of extraordinarily high levels of youth unemployment in South Africa. According to the latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics South Africa, unemployment for people between the ages of 15-34 currently stands at 70.7 per cent. This means that, not only do young people still occupy the periphery of economic activity, but the problem of unemployment in South Africa appears to be one of youth unemployment. This is a ticking time bomb which threatens to worsen the alarming levels of political instability in South Africa. At the heart of youth unemployment problem is the poor quality of our education system, which is failing to equip the youth with basic skills or the skills the South African economy requires. In addition to these challenges, South Africa is also battling with high prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse among the youth. We have to leave no stone unturned in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse. Programme Director, Apart from these challenges, we are also faced with the problem where political connectivity determines one’s altitude. For many young people, coming from the wrong side of the political spectrum is increasingly becoming a fixed impediment to individual success. While this occurs, those who enjoy political connectivity become overnight millions. The danger of breaking the important link between effort and reward is that we send a wrong message to the young people that they can take the escalators to success. No winning Nation can be built on this formula. On numerous occasions people who are tasked with running youth development institutions publicly proclaim commitment to youth development, while privately practicing unrestrained extraction of private wealth from the public purse. Mister President, I wish we could wave a magic wand and get rid of these problems, but unfortunately we cannot. Nor do we have the time to develop another plan because South Africa has an abundance of plans. Our only limitation is that we do not implement them. To turn this situation around, we require bold and decisive leadership from all the sectors of society to implement the plans we have developed thus far, as failure to do this will portray us a Nation that lacks the moral resolve to tackle its challenges. We have to improve the quality of our education to ensure that our youth are both employable and capable of becoming employment creators rather than employment seekers. We have to re-establish the link between effort and reward and root out corruption and maladministration in our society. Fellow South Africans, We have to work hard to ensure that we put selfless service to the people above all else. Adam Smith puts this aptly in his book The Theory of Moral Sentiments, when he says and I quote: “When the happiness or the misery of others depends in any respect upon our conduct, we dare not, as self-love might suggest to us, prefer the interest of one to that of many.” Providing this bold leadership entails making important choices as a Nation. Former President of the United States of America, JF Kennedy once summarised these choices succinctly in one of his political campaign speeches in the 1950s when he said and I quote that: “…the American people have a choice to make…. a choice between national greatness and national decline…between the public interest and private comfort.” He continued and said: “All mankind awaits our decision. We cannot fail their trust, we cannot fail to try.” More than fifty years later, South Africa finds itself at this crossroad. The decision we take today will determine the kind of South Africa we seek to become. Borrowing the words of JF Kennedy, I say that the peoples of Africa and the world wait upon our decision. We cannot fail their trust, nor can we fail to try. I thank you.
Admin
06 Jan, 1999
Youth registration
Statement by the UDM National Deputy Secretary The United Democratic Movement supports the joint effort of the IEC and the National Youth Commission to embark on a programme to get the youth to register and participate in the upcoming elections. The UDM fully utilised the opportunity to participate in this process. The UDM is concerned with the National Youth Commissions apparent lack of understanding of the extent of the looming crisis. The UDM will seek a meeting with the IEC as we are calling for a youth registration day. We call for a day focusing on registering the youth at school and university’s across the country. Registration must take place under the banner of the IEC and be supported by the NYC. Even though the NYC lacks the ability to conduct an effective campaign, they do have the capacity to support the IEC. We regret the NYC’s departure point that the low voter registration, especially amongst the youth does not represent a crisis. The low registration reflects on the youth’s loss of confidence in the structure of government – including the NYC. Those structures and institutions have failed to demonstrate to the youth a commitment to serve the interests of the youth. It is critical that the youth are made aware of the impact that their votes would contribute to their own future and the future of the country. We say to the youth that you have the power to rock the boat, by rocking the vote, so get jamming and register.
