Premier's Youth Awards, Ben Marais Hall, Rustenburg
2 December 2006
Programme Director
Chairperson of the North West Provincial Youth Commission, Mr Kabelo
Mataboge
MECs and Members of the Provincial Legislature present
Heads of Department (HODs) present
Representatives of the National Youth Commission present
National and Provincial Commissioners present
Our Awards Recipients and Nominees
Our Distinguished Guests and Sponsors
Young People of the North West province
I have been asked by the Chairperson of the North West Provincial Youth
Commission to keep my address short and to the point because, he said, young
people are by nature very energetic and impatient. I dare not disappoint the
Chairperson and incur the wrath of the young lions in the process.
Today is the eighth time that our province pays homage to the young men and
women who have excelled in various fields of human endeavour. It is therefore
with a sense of pride and progress that I stand here to pay tribute to these
young achievers of the Premier's Youth Awards 2006.
It is incredibly fulfilling to see that not only are more young people
benefiting from these awards but also that the awards themselves have over the
years grown in stature through, among others, attracting various partners from
the private sector who have contributed by sponsoring some of the
categories.
For us this year's Youth Awards bears a particular poignancy in the light of
our celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the 1976 Soweto and other uprisings
where many of our young South Africans showed incredible determination in the
face of brutality and oppression to shape not only their future but that of
their beloved country as well.
As we remember those young martyrs, heroes and heroines, we hope their
unfaltering spirit of resilience remains with the youth of today as we together
engage in the contemporary battle of the reconstruction and development of our
province and country. As we have said before, the Premier's Youth Awards are
far from being just a ceremonial event, but they continue to contribute
meaningfully to the broader development of young people in the province, thus
putting young people at the centre of all our development programmes.
It is particularly encouraging to note that many of the young people we are
honouring today have risen above their disadvantaged backgrounds in pursuit of
their dreams and passions. Some of them have taken to heart and action the
spirit of Letsema and Vuk'uzenzele and selflessly gave up their time and
expertise to help uplift their communities in various ways.
Of particular delight to us as well is the fact that some of the young
people we are honouring today have begun to transform the economic landscape of
our province. I refer here specifically to the endeavours of the youth that
assist us in bridging the gap between the First and Second Economies. Among
other things, these young men and women have shown us that small, medium and
micro enterprises (SMMEs) can be very successful in addressing our economic
imbalances and uplifting the majority of those of our active citizens
imprisoned in the Second Economy.
Indeed these young people have shown us it is possible to realign society
and its resources to create a fairer balance and encourage sustainable economic
activities in the province. In many ways, therefore, the Premier's Youth Awards
are a fitting tribute to the contribution the youth is making in the
reconstruction and development of our country and province and for this we are
most appreciative. We salute these young workers of our reconstruction and
development.
We hope these awards serve as a further source of encouragement to other
young people in our province to embrace the values of excellence, sacrifice and
the will to succeed despite the odds. In honouring these young achievers of our
province tonight, we are affirming once again our commitment to nurturing youth
talent in all fields of expertise, while at the same time making a lifetime
investment in the future of both our province and our country.
In word as in deed, we rededicate ourselves today to the optimal fulfilment
of our youths' political, social, cultural, economic and educational
aspirations and we dare say that the future belongs to them. As the ancient
Greek philosopher Diogenes Laertius once said "the foundation of every state is
the education and progress of its youth." The North West Provincial Government
is proud to have placed such considerable investment and faith in our youth
through the Premier's Youth Awards.
I would like to personally and on behalf of government congratulate all the
award winners tonight in the knowledge that their achievements will spurn the
next generation of achievers to go beyond all our expectations. A special word
of appreciation must also go to the sponsors of this event, who have invested
with us in the growth and development of our youth. We are most
appreciative.
Finally, it is my singular privilege to confer the Premier's Youth Awards on
behalf of the province and the provincial government, to these outstanding
young men and women for their various outstanding contributions to the growth
and development of our province.
May they all soar further into the skies of growth, development and
prosperity!
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
2 December 2006
