Keynote adderss by the Honourable Jeff Radebe, MP, Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation on the occasion of the 2nd South African Youth Awards ceremony, at the St George's Hotel and Conference Centre, Pretoria
Thank you, Programme Director:
Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Buti Manamela;
Gauteng MEC for Education, Mr Panyaza Lesufi;
The Acting Chairperson of the NYDA Board, Dr Ntsiki Mashiya;
The Chief Executive Officer of the NYDA, Mr Khathu Ramukumba;
Delegates from various youth formations;
Members of the Media;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen
INTRODUCTION
Allow me to prelude this address with words from a great revolutionary and the founding father of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Tse Tung:
“The world is yours, as well as ours, but in the last analysis, it is yours. You young people, full of vigor and vitality, are in the bloom of life, like the sun at eight or nine in the morning. Our hope is placed on you. The world belongs to you”
Although Mao Tse Tung uttered these profound words while addressing Chinese students and trainees back in 1957, they find resonance with our lives in South Africa fifty years later. Indeed, we look up to young people as the future of our nation.
Our youth today are tomorrow’s leaders. The journey towards their leadership destiny begins today. We live in a period of turbulent socio-economic landscape. The road ahead is long and winding, with mountains and gorges along the way. It requires strong and highly principled individuals with great zeal, fortitude and tenacity to carry on despite the challenges.
I am sure that it was because of this realization that the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) decided that our theme for this occasion will be: “Youth Moving South Africa Forward Against All Odds.” Indeed, our occasion this evening recognizes the accomplishments of young people who have triumphed against adversity; youth who strive to make a difference in our lives; young people who add meaningful value to the development of their communities, the South African nation and the world at large.
The South African Youth Awards offer us the necessary platform to cultivate the soil for the growth of our future leaders. The young people that we will be honouring this evening have distinguished themselves as trailblazers in a variety of fields. They stand out as the brightest stars in the galaxy of young people in our nation. They illuminate our paths as we journey towards a brighter future.
It is our responsibility as the nation to recognize, appreciate and celebrate the accomplishments of young people. The recognition of our youth excellence is the affirmation of a brighter future. For the youth define the future outlook of our nation.
The youth of today must be ready to take the baton from the current generation of leaders and continue with the journey of making South Africa a better and more prosperous society. We must disprove Antonio Gramsci’s assertion that, “The old is dying and the new cannot be born.”
Our occasion this evening is testament to the continued regeneration of our society. Through the South African Youth Awards we are saying the youth is here and ready to lead. This is also the reason why the notion of “intergenerational mix” must be an integral part of organisational strategies.
It is the responsibility of preceding generations to ensure that they groom the next layer of leadership to continue with the journey of self-emancipation. The inspirational words from Mao Tse Tung, as alluded to earlier, are also a necessary reminder of the obligation that government has towards its youth.
As government, we must ensure that young people inherit a country full of possibilities. A country destined for success. A country with a brighter and more prosperous future.
THE CURRENT SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
Much as we cherish noble ambitions about the future of our country, our objective reality reveals that the youth remains the hardest hit by the triple challenges of inequality, poverty and unemployment. These are the challenges that we must collectively address with maximum alacrity.
I must at the same time state that ours is not an isolated case. Youth unemployment is particularly a grave concern across the world in general and on the African continent in particular. In an effort to reinforce our efforts on youth empowerment, the African Union (AU) declared 2017 as the ‘Year of Harnessing the Demographic Dividend Through Investments in Youth.’ Deputy Minister Buti Manamela is part of a number of structures that seek to prioritise youth empowerment on the continent.
Employment figures in South Africa reflect the grim reality that there is increasing unemployment rate in our country and that the youth are the main victims of this negative trend. The current unemployment rate among the youth (aged 15–35) is 38%.
The major risk with these figures is that high youth unemployment rate breeds violence, crime and substance abuse. It ravages the future of our country.
Government, businesses and civil society organisations should work together to combat poverty and unemployment. They should provide skills development opportunities like training, internships and mentorship for young graduates and budding entrepreneurs.
This is how we can establish a solid foundation for a more rapid and inclusive economic growth in our country. Any initiative that seeks to empower the youth is an investment towards the future of our country.
THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (NDP)
The NDP is futuristic in its orientation, as it outlines our envisaged development trajectory in our journey towards 2030. Employment creation, alongside the eradication of abject poverty and reduction of gross inequalities are some of the core priorities in the NDP.
The NDP puts special emphasis on economic growth because with a thriving economy we will be able to combat this triumvirate of challenges. It clearly states that South Africa needs faster and more inclusive growth for us to improve the standard of living for the masses of our people.
We must step-up and accelerate the pace of service delivery in order to enhance transformation in society. More than two decades since the dawn of freedom and democracy in South Africa, the bulk of the economy of the country is still in the hands of those who benefited from our divided past. This anomaly cannot be allowed to continue unabated.
RADICAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION
It was in view of the slow pace of transformation and lack of inclusivity in the economy that the ANC government introduced the Radical Socio-Economic Transformation programme. This programme ushers in a more rigorous phase in our journey towards building a better and more prosperous South Africa.
It is the driving force behind the government’s approach to expedite fundamental change. The emphasis here is on fundamental change in the structure, systems, institutions and patterns of ownership, management and control of the economy by the disenfranchised black people.
We must change the socio-economic condition of the masses of our people. Young people must be the major beneficiaries of our development endeavours.
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
In this year of Oliver Tambo, a patriot who selflessly dedicated his life to the struggle for the liberation in South Africa, we must engage in very bold steps to change the lives of the people of our country.
The youth must be at the forefront of fundamental change. To paraphrase the incisive words of O.R. Tambo, the gallant leader of our liberation struggle, a country that does not invest in its youth does not deserve its future.
The efforts made by the NYDA in opening empowerment opportunities for the youth are recognized. The plight of youth should, however, not be left to individual organisations.
It must be a concern for society at large. We must join hands and combat unemployment especially among the youth.
It is therefore befitting to take this opportunity to applaud the NYDA for its record of clean governance and having continuously improved and sustained its year on year targets. We believe that the end of this financial year we will receive more positive outcome. Any positive developments in the NYDA must translate to positive change in the lives of young people in our country.
The National Youth Policy (2020) argues that growing entrepreneurs is an immediate need for South Africa. This means that if we are to confront challenges facing young people we need to promote entrepreneurship as a viable career path. Young people should not be perpetual job seekers. We must raise a new generation of young people that will be job creators. We need innovative young entrepreneurs who will play a significant role in the renewal of our economy.
We must work collectively as a nation in supporting and cherishing the efforts of young people to move South Africa forward against all odds. We must dig deeper into our pockets and redirect funds to youth development. It is a worthy investment.
TOGETHER MOVING SOUTH AFRICA FORWARD
Honoured Guests,
We are gathered here this evening to celebrate exceptional contribution by young South Africans pursuant to our clarion call of “Moving South Africa Forward”. I wish to take this opportunity congratulate all the nominees who have come this far.
The mere fact that you have been nominated is the recognition of the unique contribution that you have made to the development of our nation.
We must applaud the fact that you continue to do extremely well against all odds. Your stories inspire us and make us strive to be better people.
To the winners that will be announced this evening, this should open doors for yourselves to be able to grow within your distinguished categories. Your journey does not end with winning. This milestone should inspire you to break more barriers and expand your horizons. I am looking forward to engage with you during our meeting at the Union Buildings tomorrow.
As I conclude, I encourage all young people to take advantage presented by our democracy. We must derive inspiration from the words of struggle stalwart, Moses Kotane, who said:
“At this hour of destiny, your country and your people need you. The future of South Africa is in your hands and it will be what you make of it.”
Let this be a clarion call for us to join hands and keep our heads high in our collective march towards Vision 2030.
It is our future – make it work!
Thank you.
