DA Youth Leader Luyolo Mphithi is a man to watch. We caught up with him on the road ahead of a national election that is going to be decided by South Africans under 35.
ChangeMaker (CM): What are you listening to?
Luyolo Mphithi (LM): Currently I am listening to Brent Faiyaz, Shane Eagle, Sjava and Travis Scott.
CM: Do you watch series? Any recommendations?
LM: Of course! Right now I am waiting patiently for the last season of Game of Thrones.
CM: We’ve seen you presenting a number of DA live streams at major events, do you get stage fright and if so, any tips on beating a fear of public speaking?
LM: I think every public speaker gets nervous before addressing a group/crowd of people but I believe the nerves are what keep you on your toes. They are the difference between delivering a good speech and a great speech. I have always believed that it is important to embrace your fears or nerves because they make you an honest and genuine speaker. My tips to any aspiring public speaker is to remember that we all have something to say and speak about. Our experiences and our views are important and when we speak it’s always better to speak from that place of lived experience because that place is always genuine and authentic to the listener. Remember to have fun!
CM: Tell us about how you first joined the DA.
LM: I joined the DA as a student in 2012 at Wits University. I immediately got involved with DASO at Wits and the Joburg South Constituency. I learnt a lot in that year about being a ground activist for the party.
“I have made an intentional choice to not let the future be decided for me or on my behalf.” – DA Youth Leader Luyolo Mphithi
CM: What made you want to be a public representative, especially for young South Africans?
LM: I always felt that the voices of young people never found expression in government or in our communities. When I was first elected as a councilor, at the age of 23, I found a new appreciation for the way in which the DA viewed young people. It puts young people who are capable and fit for purpose at the centre of conversations in politics and in government. This for me, is why the DA is unlike any other party in South Africa because it values the power of a generational mix in its structures and in its governments. There is absolutely no other party that does this right now.
CM: Young South Africans under 35 make up the weight of South Africans registered to vote in the 2019 elections. What do you tell young people who say they don’t want to engage with politics?
LM: As young people we need to be more cognizant that the future that is being built, today, is for us, tomorrow. I have made an intentional choice to not let the future be decided for me or on my behalf. I choose to form part of the shaping of South Africa. I choose to be deliberate in raising my voice in spaces where young voices are often silenced and ignored because if we don’t we risk inheriting a country that we will not recognise or feel apart off. So, young person stand up and fight for a South Africa that you can be proud of, today!
CM: What, in your opinion, remains the biggest obstacle facing young South Africans?
LM: I think the struggle of young people is definitely not one that is homogenous in any way. There are a number of pressing challenges like youth unemployment, access to quality education and crime etc. However, for me it all boils down to the economy. The economy is not expanding enough to include young people. We have an economy that is currently growing at 0.8% which indicates that there continues to be a lack of economic inclusion for young people.
CM: Being a part of DA Leader Mmusi Maimane’s Team One South Africa must be very demanding given that you’re often on the road away from home. What keeps you motivated?
LM: Definitely it is. However, I am motivated by the need to vocalize the issues of young people intentionally, credibly and in a meaningful way. I think about this past December when I was at home in the Eastern Cape. Many of the friends I grew up with were unemployed. They had little hope in their eyes. They felt left out and disempowered. It cannot be that we have young people who are supposed to be the hope of South Africa feeling and being this way. I fight for those young people. I do this for those young people. They need to have hope.
CM: Can you outline the DA’s offer for the youth in summary?
LM: The DA plans to launch the National Civilian Services – a year-long programme to skill our young people and make them more employable; we need to make higher education more accessible to all young people; and we want to convert loans to bursaries for the best-performing students. We want to create sustainable jobs.