Premier Ntombela and traditional leaders to engage young people on social ills
Yesterday, Thursday, 21st June 2018, Free State Premier, Hon. Sefora ‘Sisi’ Ntombela met with the province’s Traditional Leaders to tackle issues affecting society, particularly young people. The moral decay in many parts of our country, particularly amongst young people, has consistently proven to be a cause for concern for the Free State Provincial Government and society at large.
The Hon. Premier is concerned that most of our young people have become slaves to alcohol and drugs, which in turn, leads to most of the many social ills that confront our communities today. It is against this background that Hon. Premier yesterday met with Traditional Leaders with the aim of finding constructive, lasting and practical solutions to some of our social challenges.
As part of dealing with these challenges, the province’s Traditional Leaders will be launching a Non-Profit Organization, Banna Khotla, in July this year. The Hon. Premier, welcomed the initiative, and committed that the Free State Provincial Government shall support this important initiative.
“It is a major concern for us as government to see our youth freely indulging in drugs and alcohol. We are parents first and foremost. We cannot, and must not, sit by while our children are on a path to self-destruction. We therefore appreciate the initiative by our Traditional Leaders.
“Our late liberation struggle icon President Oliver Tambo captured this sentiment perfectly when he said; ‘The children of any nation are its future. A country, a movement, a person that does not value its youth and children does not deserve its future’. Late President Nelson Mandela could not have said it better when he said; ‘Young people are capable, when aroused, of bringing down the towers of oppression and raising the banners of freedom’. It is upon us as leaders to reach out to our youth and lead them to the Promised Land”, Premier Ntombela said.
Working under the theme: ‘Better Men, Better Nation’ the Hon. Premier, the Traditional Leaders, together with departments of Home Affairs, Corporate Governance and Traditional Affairs, Social Development, Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs as well as the South African Police Services, the South African National Defence Force and the South African Social Security Agency will engage young people from the Thabo Mofutsanyana District at the Phuthaditjhaba Multi-Purpose Centre on a variety of issues which affect young people.
The event is intended to engage youth to better get an understanding of issues affecting them, as well as confront those issues head-on. The main challenges facing young, i.e. high dropout rates, high teenage pregnancy rates, child headed households and many other ills will feature prominently in this historic event.
This event will also form part of build up programmes towards the official opening of the Beyers Naude Victim Empowerment and Rehabilitation Centre, which will coincide with the Nelson Mandela International Day, on 18th July 2018, at Clarens, Dihlabeng Local Municipality.
The Launch of the Better Men, Better Nation Programme is scheduled as follows:
Date: Friday, 06 July 2018
Venue: Phuthaditjhaba Multi-Purpose Centre, Qwaqwa, Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality.
Further details on the event will be communicated.
Enquiries:
Tiisetso Makhele
Cell: 076 833 0033
Tel: 051 405 5799
E-mail: tiisetso.makhele@fspremier.gov.za or makhelets@live.com
