Thank you, Honourable Speaker,
I would like to acknowledge and honour the youth of 1976. Long may their spirit live to inspire us always
Mark Twain eloquently said “the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why”
But in South Africa, the phrase would go something like this – the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out kushubile.
Honourable Speaker, yesterday I spent Youth Day in Buhle Park. I visited child-headed homes to assist with necessities. These young people that I spoke to yesterday asked me to bring their stories to your urgent attention.
I met Edwin Makhubo, a 24-year-old, he looks after 5 siblings and the youngest being his sister who is 4.They live in an old abandoned house along the train track of Buhle Park. He wanted me to tell you that he is cold, unemployed and losing hope.
Nthabiseng Nkosi is 23 years old. Nthabiseng is one of 4 siblings, her mother passed away and her father left them, she looks after her 3 siblings and her own child, she is unemployed and they live off her child grant. She has been waiting to hear back from her application for the indigent grant she applied for last year. She’s getting desperate.
Themba Mnguni, a 19-year-old, is one of 5 siblings, both parents past away. He dropped out of school and has joined his four other siblings in the unemployment line. He wanted me to tell you that he wants to complete his schooling or at least gain a skill he can use.
Phumla Mamama is 17 years old, is one of 3 siblings, both parents have died. She’s nervous about what’s going to happen to her after matric. She wanted to know what opportunities are out there for her.
If indeed this government is trying to be responsive, I challenge it to step in and provide more support to the most venerable amongst us. They are watching right now.
Honourable Speaker, today we will listen to every ANC speaker tell us what they tell us every year. Decorating the painful realities of young people with a phrase that we hear all the time “progress has been made but more needs to”.
What we won’t hear is what has happened to the 77 Commitments that were made at the Jobs Summit in October 2018 and how these commitments are going to help the youth of Buhle Park.
What we won’t hear is what action is going to be taken to give the youth in Sterkspruit –
kwaskiszana and emjikelweni the work-readiness training and skills to better match them to economic opportunities.
What we won’t hear is how this government plans to deal with the many young people who have already experienced years of rejection from economic activity and now are suffering from depression.
uMongameli, kwanye no butho waka, kudala wasi libala.
We know this because in the Medium Term Budget Policy statement the word ‘youth’ appears once and that – is under the definitions section.
If unemployment was not enough, we now have to deal with the frustration and anxiety of having to inherit an incapable state at the brink of economic collapse and not because of Covid-19 only – the economy was collapsing even before that. Speaker, the truth is under the ANC government, young people will become middle-aged and still be trying to repay and rebuild this economy.
Kodwa ke Sihlalo perhaps it may not be that bad because we might be lucky to have ministers that are actually in touch with issues of communities at that time.
As always the Democratic Alliance (DA) will advise and give guidance because we want the country to succeed. Young people deserve that. We call on government:
1. To ensure the re-stimulation the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI). The ETI is a direct
intervention in the labour market aimed at stimulating demand for youth labour. The
wage subsidy implicit in the ETI lowers the cost of the young, inexperienced worker to
employers without lowering the wages of the workers themselves.
2. Provide targeted support for micro-entrepreneurs in the informal economy. We must
ensure that we foster this sector and support the job creation potential that it offers.
3. We need to focus on expanding support and incentives for youth-owned businesses
and co-operatives. We need decisive action on the struggle around data.
The Western Cape Government has created Youth Hubs in the City of Cape Town where
young people can develop their CVs, find internships, complete job readiness workshops and have access to social services that help with substance abuse and personal problems. These Youth Café provide skills development and support in digital training, business entrepreneurship, event management and project management. Imagine having these centres in our rural areas.
Madam Speaker, I believe it was the late uBaba Umkhulu Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa who once said that: “A truly democratic country is one that uses its spiritual talents and the heritage of its people to feed the hungry and clothe the naked”.
I am here to confirm my belief in his words and argue that it is the youth that is the spiritual talent and heritage of our great nation. It is the youth of South African that will unshackle this country from pessimism, poverty and passiveness.
The Youth hustle continues across our country – we will no longer wait to become grant
collectors anymore. We will not look at the ANC for help, they have never cared.
It is the youth of South Africa who will confront these various challenges, and unapologetically seek out different solutions for our progress.