Programme Director
Minister Lindiwe Zulu - Minister for Small business enterprises,
Mr Tlholohelo Mohlathe - CEO of the SOMAFCO Trust
Dali & Rachel Tambo
Members of the media
Youth leaders
Invited guests
It is indeed a great honour and privilege for me to address the entrepreneurial champions of tomorrow. It is a privilege to honour the spirit and legacies of OR Tambo and Solomon Mahlangu.
Both of them were giants in the struggle to attain freedom and democracy, and their selfless legacy of caring for the next generation lives on today in the ethos and values of the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College (SOMAFCO) Trust.
SOMAFCO plays a special role in our history. There has been much written about SOMAFCO and I encourage young people to read up on this part of our history.
Mpho Monare writes about his experience at SOMAFCO: "I was a student in SOMAFCO between 1984 and 1989. As much as there were many things that one desired and missed, being at SOMAFCO and receiving the holistic education that I did, was the highlight of my life! The 'life influence' that I find we received there set us to perceive ourselves as part of the human race family in the sense that we were very informed about the world around us, whose shaping we were a part of!”
Mpho Monare writes about something that was so vital to the experience of SOMAFCO. Mpho writes about something called Solidarity. We do not often use this word in our vocabulary today. It is often used in South America - Solidaridad!
Solidarity is about working together for the common cause, helping others in an organised and effective way, standing as a group or nation to defend rights, promote justice or face natural disasters or economic crisis and doing so hand in hand. This is solidarity. And solidarity was the essence of SOMAFCO. This is the reason why teachers left their comfortable homes in Norway, Sweden and other countries to come teach at SOMAFCO. This is why the government of Tanzania so readily provided support to the African National Congress and donated the land on which SOMAFCO was built. This is the reason why community of Mazimbu so readily accepted the students and staff of SOMAFCO.
We must learn from this. If young people are to lead the rise of Africa - our continent, then our leadership must be based on the shared value of solidarity. As young people we must stand in solidarity, we must act in solidarity for the pursuit of justice, equality, development and human rights.
We dare not let the sacrifices of those who secured our historic freedom and democracy be in vain.
Just as the previous generation of patriots fought so that we may be free; this generation has a responsibility to build on the foundations of our democracy and make it stronger.
The Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College or SOMAFCO Trust as it is better known has led the way in empowering young people to change their lives since its inception in 2006. To this day it continues to light the way and lives the ethos, and principles of OR Tambo and Solomon Mahlangu.
The seventh OR Tambo edu-tour provides an opportunity for young people to learn from our history. It provides the platform for youth to share and experience the solidarity needed for Africa to rise and for young people to lead. It provides a stage for South African youth to connect with Tanzanian youth, to share their youth development experiences and challenges and to forge a partnership for Africa's rise with youth at the forefront.
Over the next five years government will move to deepen our economic transformation. The key driver in this regard is the National Development Plan (NDP), our strategic vision for 2030.
The NDP envisages a thriving economy which has trebled in size by 2030 with a target of 11 million job opportunities. The recently approved National Youth Policy will serve to guide our approaches to achieve the goals in the NDP.
If we are to make the NDP a reality we will need to harness the inherent talent and promise that lies within our youth. Seated before me are the next generation of leaders, within you burns the undying spirit of OR Tambo and Solomon Mahlangu.
The future is waiting to be claimed and this generation will lead the way in moving South Africa forward and ensuring that Africa, indeed, rises. The Legends in the Making programme with its focus on entrepreneurship and on harnessing talent is a crucial intervention.
I am particularly excited by the entrepreneur programme which invites young people to become part of the solution to poverty, inequality and unemployment by growing their own careers. Through this process, selected youngsters will be empowered and given the tools to build their own futures.
On a broader level this is the sort of initiative we need to have more of in our country. Through Legends in the Making, SOMAFCO is doing its bit to tackle the triple scourge of poverty, inequality and unemployment by growing tomorrow's leaders. I am confident that this process will not only empower young people to grow their own careers; it will also enable our youth to become entrepreneurs and create jobs.
For our part, as government, we also have several exciting plans in place to grow small business and to ensure greater levels of entrepreneurship. The National Youth Policy 2020 will drive a massive youth entrepreneurship training programme. We need more young entrepreneurs. Small business and entrepreneurship is a mechanism to draw new entrants into the economy, strengthen inclusive growth, build the social economy, encourage solidarity and create large numbers of jobs.
Through the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), young people are provided with grants to stimulate their entry into entrepreneurship. The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA) and NYDA partnership has set aside R2.7 billion rands to fund youth owned enterprises. We encourage young people to take advantage of these opportunities. We hope that this fund will create entrepreneurial legends.
Let me thank the SOMAFCO Trust for the sterling job that they are doing to help young people understand our history, to promote solidarity and to develop young entrepreneurs. We support your efforts.
Our nation can learn from the values and commitment of the SOMAFCO Trust to changing lives. Collectively we have a duty to empower our youth to do extraordinary things and we must provide them with the confidence and the necessary skills to succeed.
I thank you.
