Launch of the Youth Month keynote address by Honourable Minister in the Presidency For Women, Youth and Persons With Disabilities, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa
Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize,
Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nocawe Mafu
Director-General of Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Advocate Mikateko Joyce Maluleke
CEO of NYDA, Waseem Carrim
June 16 Foundation, Mr Moloto
South African Youth Council President, Mr Josopu
Members of the Media
Distinguished Guests
Young people of this country
Today, I am honoured to be standing in front of you as we launch the 2021 Youth month-long programme. The month of June is dedicated to the youth of 1976, who bravely stood up against the injustices of the Apartheid government.
The youth of 1976 laid down their lives when they rightfully fought for freedom and the right to equal education.
This year, marks 45 years since the 1976 students’ uprisings in Soweto.
As we gather here today, we must reflect on the past 45 years and look at the role of young people in shaping South Africa into the vibrant democracy it is today. I remember a time when it was very difficult for young people to share information, communicate, mobilise, rally behind ideas, and to really connect. Today, our youth are able to connect globally, share ideas, debate, and harness resources to create the future they want.
This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mme Charlotte Mannya Maxeke.
The Government of South Africa declared 2021 the Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke to remember the legacy and immense contribution by this trailblazer and struggle icon.
Minister Nathi Mthethwa was with me when we launched this important year on 30 April 2021.
We are proud as a country of this historical significance because mme Charlotte Maxeke’s legacy lives on as a major contributor to the emancipation of women in South Africa.
uMama Charlotte Mannya Maxeke will become the second woman to be honoured in this way since 2018 when our struggle icon Albertina Sisulu was honoured.
This, the 150th year since the birthday of uMama Charlotte Mannya Maxeke, is an important year for South Africa. We recognise women of courage and fortitude who pursued the same cause as struggle icons like Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo, to name but a few. Mme Charlotte Mannya Maxeke made an indelible impact on many areas, including education, welfare, faith and politics.
Indeed, she stood out as one of the leaders of the liberation struggle who fought for women empowerment in the areas of education, religion, politics, community development and upliftment.
We, therefore, want to use Youth Month, to not only celebrate this struggle stalwart, but to reignite the spirit of women empowerment, achievements, and success.
Youth Month 2021 takes places while the country is battling with the global pandemic, COVID-19 which has impacted many lives.
Despite the looming third wave, we remain positive and forge ahead to ensure that South Africa’s economy recovers.
As we recover, we also take note of how COVID-19 negatively impacted on women, youth and persons with disabilities.
We continue to grapple with issues of gender-based violence and femicide, mental health, the rate of high unemployment, and substance and alcohol abuse. These, often trigger, depression, family disorganisation and a host of external factors.
As government we continue to seek solutions to these issues and take measures that will ensure that women, youth, and persons with disabilities can thrive and build the South Africa we want.
This year, we will be celebrating Youth Month under the theme: “The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society.”
Despite the many challenges faced by the youth, during this month we want to focus on the positivity.
We want to take stock of the success stories of the young people of this country and to celebrate their achievements.
This is in line with the theme of our approved National Youth Policy 2030, of “A decade of accelerating positive youth development outcomes.” The National Youth Policy, which was launched in March of this year, reminds us of the potential of our youth as instruments of change and development.
All sectors of society, must come on board to implement inclusive youth interventions which will ultimately promote the constitutional rights of all youth, including young women, youth with disabilities, young men, LGBTQIA+ and youth in rural areas.
Most importantly, we want to recommit ourselves to working together in building an inclusive and transformed society.
We call on society to play your part in availing opportunities for our youth, to ensure an inclusive and transformed society. We cannot ignore our youth dividend, if we are to see our society progress.
Therefore, all of us must play our part in creating an inclusive society which allow engagements, improves the mental health of youth and persons with disabilities, and increase access to economic opportunities for the youth.
Government recognises the power and ability of the youth. We therefore continue to invest in youth development programmes through agencies such as the National Youth Development Agency to bring positive changes to the lives of the young people of our country.
The NYDA recognises challenges faced by the youth better and recognises the potential that the young people possess. It is for this reason that the agency continues to implement programmes that brings change in the lives of our youth.
Furthermore, the Presidency working with the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, continues to work across government and private and social partners to coordinate and drive an integrated plan to create two million new jobs for young people during the next decade, over and above average job growth.
Young people hold the key to transforming our economy, boosting growth, and fostering social cohesion, creativity, and innovation.
The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention is government’s plan to address this challenge. It is designed to effectively transition young people into the labour market, aiming to significantly reduce the high rate of youth unemployment.
It is our aim to transform society and build a country filled with opportunities for the youth.
During this Youth Month, we want to encourage young people to seek entrepreneurial and skills opportunities.
We believe that with the available opportunities, young people can become job-creators and not only become jobseekers.
We also need the women, youth, and persons with disabilities to raise their hands up and explore possibilities and opportunities that our country presents.
We encourage young women to look up to the struggle stalwarts and emulate the values of the likes of mme Charlotte Mannya Maxeke – a human rights activist whose ambitions led her to become the first Black South African woman to earn a university degree. Mme Charlotte Mannya Maxeke paved the way for all of us who followed to become leaders and we want to do the same for young girls in our communities
We need more young women to take up spaces, to show up, to become leaders and to break the stereotypes that is assigned to the role of women in our society.
Ladies and Gentlemen, as part of today’s launch the CEO of the NYDA, Mr Waseem Carrim has outlined the activities which will be embarked on as part of the Youth Month.
Key to those activities is the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention.
We continue to call upon all sectors of society to join hands with us to realise the objectives of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention which seek to reduce youth unemployment.
In conclusion, I would like to urge women, youth, and persons with disabilities to rise and change the world. You can transform a crisis into possibilities. You have enormous potential as the youth of our country. Together we can build a better inclusive and transformed society!
Allow me to close with this quote from Mme Charlotte Maxeke delivered in 1930, at an address in Fort Hare:
If you definitely and earnestly set out to lift women and children up in social life of the Bantu, you will find the men will benefit, and thus the whole community both white and black. Johannesburg is to my knowledge a great example of endeavor for the uplift of the Bantu woman, but we must pull all our energies into this task if we are to succeed.
I Thank You!!
