E Molewa: Youth Day

16 June 2006

Programme Director and North West Provincial Commissioner, Ms Connie
Modiba
Our Keynote Speaker, Minister of Transport, Honourable Jeff Radebe
MECs and Members of the Provincial Legislature present
North West Provincial Youth Commission Chairperson, Mr Kabelo Mataboge and
Provincial Youth Commissioners
The Executive Mayor of the Merafong Local Municipality, Cllr Desmond van
Rooyen
District Mayors, Mayors and Speakers of Municipalities present
Our Honoured Traditional Leaders
Leaders of our Faith-Based Organisations, Organised Business and Labour
Members of our Law Enforcement Agencies
Members of the Media
Young People of the North West Province
Ba Gaetsho Dumelang!

Today I feel young, very young. Today I want to go public with my age which
I have kept as a guarded secret ever since I became the Premier of the North
West Province more than two years ago.

Because I am turning 21 today, I will not give you a speech about the
challenges facing us as young people but instead I have invited Minister Jeff
Radebe, who has just turned 36 and therefore no longer qualifies as youth to
give a keynote address outlining the challenges facing us as youth as we
commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the June 16 Soweto and Connected
Uprisings.

My job today therefore is to call upon all of you young people, my peers to
enjoy this day to the fullest, while bearing in mind that it is a day dedicated
to all those of your age who sacrificed their valuable youth so that you and I
can enjoy the democracy and freedom we won more than 12 years ago.

I must warn you, however, that this hard-won freedom and democracy comes
with certain responsibilities. In particular, we will rely on ourselves as
youth to deepen this democracy, protect and promote it so that we do not ever
again have to confront the challenges that compelled the youth of 1976 to take
to the streets to determine the kind of future that they wanted for themselves
and the county of South Africa.

Because of the sacrifices of the youth of 1976, South Africa was able to
attain freedom and democracy in 1994, whose fruits we continue to enjoy
today.

However, as I have said, with this freedom comes with certain challenges and
responsibilities which we will have to address head-on as youth in order to
build the kind of non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South
Africa for which the youth of 1976 sacrificed their lives for.

Some of these challenges include access to quality education, youth economic
empowerment, issues of moral regeneration, the fight against poverty and
unemployment and the epic battle against HIV and AIDS.

But I am certain that if we adopt the same vigour and vigilance that defined
the youth of 1976, all of these challenges will be overcome sooner than we
hope.

I have no doubt that among us today we have the future Mandela’s, Tambo’s,
Sisulu’s, Moses Kotane’s, Edna Molewa’s and Jeff Radebe’s.

Without further ado then, please allow me to introduce our guest of honour
and Minister of Transport, Honourable Jeff Radebe to come and address us.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
16 June 2006