Pretoria-President Jacob Zuma has urged young South Africans to embrace unity in diversity, non-racialism and anti-tribalism.
“We want you to inherit that legacy of unity in diversity, non-racialism and anti-tribalism. We want you to love and respect one another as South Africans and as Africans, regardless of race, colour, creed or mother tongue that one speaks. “That is the South Africa that many of our illustrious leaders such as Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela fought very hard to build. It is the South Africa that you, as the youth, should build,” he said.
President Zuma was speaking at the main National Youth Day Commemoration at the Tshwane Events Centre on Tuesday. As this year also mark 21 years of freedom, the President used the platform to reflect at the strides that government has made in improving the quality of life of all including the youth and work that must still be done. He noted that education continues to receive the biggest chunk of the national budget as the weapon for socio-economic development. Government currently invests more than R6 billion on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to provide support to young people who are unable to pay. In partnership with the Department of Higher Education and Training, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in the Presidency also runs the Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund which has disbursed more than 40 million rand and has helped 586 poor, mostly rural youth to access higher education between 2014 and 2015.
Several government departments also provide bursaries in various fields such as social work, science and technology, teacher training, medical training and many others to open the doors of learning to the children of the poor and the working class. However, he said one of the biggest difficulties facing high school learners is knowing which career to choose. He said almost 900 000 young people were supported through the NYDA’s career guidance programmes.
“We are building more institutions of higher learning as well. We are building three new universities and 12 technical and vocational training colleges. “Government also continues to build modern new schools to replace mud schools and other inappropriate structures. “Our youth has responded positively to our promotion of education. They continue to flock to higher education institutions each year seeking education,” he said. National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Chairperson Yershen Pillay said the responsibility of young people today is to end the triple challenge of inequality, poverty and unemployment.
“As young people our responsibility is to end poverty, unemployment and inequality, we need to care for the elderly, again our responsibility is to get educated and to be productive in our country, we are not only suppose to talk about racism in this country, but also to end this scourge of racism, class and tribalism,” he said.
He also used the platform to urge both government and the private sector to initiate youth development programmes. 2015 marks the 39th anniversary of the June 16 Soweto and other related uprisings. The uprising ended tragically with hundreds of young people brutally killed. This tragedy became a rallying point that inspired a nation and a people to rise up against the brutal apartheid system.
Following the advent of democracy in 1994, the new democratic government declared 16 June as National Youth Day and June as Youth Month. This year National Youth Day and Youth Month iscelebrated under the theme: “Youth moving South Africa forward”.
The theme takes into account the fact that while the youth of 1976 fought for freedom and the creation of a democratic state, today’s youth activism is directed towards successfully tackling the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment.-SAnews.gov.za
