Address by the Deputy President of the ANC, SP Mashatile, at the 79th anniversary of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL)
10 September 2023
Programme Director;
The leadership of the ANC in Mpumalanga and members of the NEC here present;
President of the ANCYL, Comrade Collin Malatji;
Secretary General of the ANCYL, the officials and members of the national executive committee;
The leadership of the Progressive Youth Alliance;
Let's start by congratulating the African National Congress Youth League on its 79th Anniversary celebration. Happy 79th birthday.
Comrades, the generation of young people in the 1940s formed the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) as a body to focus on developing young people to make a meaningful contribution to the growth and development of the ANC and society.
We continue to view the ANCYL as a political preparatory school of young activists of the ANC.
There is evidence that the League has played this role effectively, informed by different conditions of struggle for the liberation of South Africa.
The growth and development of the ANC is because of the visionary leadership and bravery of the leadership of the ANCYL to date.
The leadership of the League in different phases or epochs of the struggles have taken it upon themselves to ensure that nothing about the youth is without the youth.
This has been working within the structures of the ANC because the ANC is the strategic centre of power and the leader of the National Democratic Revolution.
We are at the cusp of the thirty years of the advent of Freedom and Democracy. Together with the people, we have achieved a better life for all. However, we must do more to end poverty, unemployment and inequality.
We must, therefore, accelerate the implementation of the task of transforming South Africa into a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, united and prosperous society.
The League must continue to play this role, particularly that of strengthening the ANC, because the ANC represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of South Africa.
A strong ANC will ensure that we focus on building a developmental state that can redirect resources towards the development and growth of our people and, more importantly, the youth.
The ANCYL has always been at the centre of the realisation of the task of building a national democratic society.
Your recently successfully held conference, has rekindled our confidence that the ANC Youth League still remains the torch Bearer of the struggles of the youth of this country.
Your displayed determination and resolve at that conference will surely not only contribute toward the renewal of the ANC, but will be the driving force towards sharpening it in a manner that enables it to respond to the challenges of our ever-changing, modern and dynamic society.
Comrades
We are in an election campaign. With a rejuvenated and vibrant ANCYL, we are going to these elections with a determination to win back the people's mandate to continue building a better life for all.
The ANCYL must must use it's mobility not only to galvanise and mobilise the Youth of South Africa behind the ANC, but the society as whole.
Together, we must assure the youth and the people of South Africa that only the ANC carries the aspirations and hopes of all South Africans. This is because the ANC was formed to be an instrument of change by the people. We lead the ANC at the behest of the people.
That is why last week, we released the performance of the ANC-led government to the people. We expect the people to engage with the review discussion document and give us feedback on the critical areas we must focus on after the 2024 elections. This is what evidence-based leadership organisations do. We do not make unrealistic and populist statements. We are doing what the people of South Africa say we must do as their organisation.
As the African National Congress, we acknowledge the resilience and adaptability of our people, especially young people, during these challenging times.
The ANCYL must acknowledge that we are living in Rapid changing world that requires a lot of agility.
The first ten years of democratic rule we have seen the ANC, led mostly by the products of the Youth League, turning around the monstrous apartheid misgoverned economy, Leading it from recession to a five percent growth. However this was not to last, because from there, the world was hit by a number of crisis ranging from climate change, 1998 financial crisis, and lately Covid 19 and Geopolitical war in Ukraine. These crisis forced our economic growth rate to it's modest levels.
However, we are heartened by the recent steady move in the right direction. For example, Stats SA reported that the country's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.6% in the second quarter of 2023.
This comes after a growth of 0.4% in the first quarter. Six industries on the economy's supply side grew in the second quarter, with manufacturing and finance driving much of the upward momentum.
However, it is crucial to highlight that the unemployment rate remains a significant concern. South Africa's unemployment rate fell slightly to 32.6% in this year's second quarter (Q2) from 32.9% in QI.
The number of employed people increased by 154,000 to 16.3 million in the quarter and has almost reached pre-pandemic levels of 16.4 million.
Our government has implemented necessary economic recovery measures to support the economy, which is why we are seeing an improvement.
These measures include financial support for distressed businesses, infrastructure investment, and job creation initiatives such as the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI), implemented as the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) across all nine provinces.
Between April and June this year, at least 135,000 earning opportunities were secured by young people through the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative's National Pathway Management Network.
Some 108 061 were accessed through the SA Youth platform, with 27 088 opportunities scored through the Department of Employment and Labour's Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) website. We are adamant that if PYEI can receive more funding, it will reach more young people.
We also welcome the NasiSpani initiatives as led by the ANC-led government in Gauteng. We agree it must be implemented across provinces and municipalities to create opportunities for our country's youth.
Moreover, our government believe that entrepreneurship is part of the remedy for the massive youth unemployment. We call on young people to take up the opportunities available in digital sectors and others to combat the high youth unemployment rate.
In partnership with the private sector, we have launched several youth business funding opportunities to help youth start and maintain their businesses. This includes the Youth Challenge Fund (YCF), the Youth Pipeline Development Programme, and the Youth Technology Innovation Fund (YTIF).
While these measures have helped stabilise the economy, we must remain vigilant and adaptable to emerging challenges. Moreover, we have also gained some pace by implementing the structural reforms for the reconstruction and recovery plan.
Since October 2020, as part of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, we have implemented 35 priority structural reforms identified for their impact on economic growth and job creation. We have made progress in energy, our logistics network, digital communications, and the reform of the visa regime to enable businesses to attract the skills they need to grow.
Regarding the energy challenge that has remained a top priority in addition to appointing the Minister of Electricity, we have amended Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act to remove the licencing requirement for generation projects of any size.
More than 100 projects are at various stages of development, representing over 10,000 megawatts of new generation capacity and over R200 billion in private sector investment. We are determined to end loadshedding. This is the priority, and we are focused on it.
Comrades, on behalf of the African National Congress, allow us to make the following commitments to you and the youth of our country. There are five critical areas of focus that, together with the youth, we focus on in the immediate, short and long term.
These relate to
I. Skills Revolution and Education - The ANC will continue providing quality education that equips youth with the knowledge and skills they need to participate in the global economy. It means fostering a culture of lifelong learning where individuals are encouraged to improve and adapt constantly.
2. Investing in youth means investing in their health - The ANC will ensure access to quality healthcare and promote healthy lifestyles. We are well ahead in passing the National Health Insurance Bill into law to achieve universal health access, especially for townships and rural communities. We are addressing the unique challenges that young people face, such as mental health issues and substance abuse.
3. Investing in youth means investing in entrepreneurship - The ANC will accelerate the programme of building an entrepreneurial culture by creating an enabling environment for start-ups to thrive, fostering innovation and rewarding risk-taking. This also means providing mentorship, access to funding, and networking opportunities.
4. Investing in youth means investing in technology - The ANC will harness the power of digital innovation to create solutions to our most pressing challenges. The aim is to bridge the digital divide and ensure no one is left behind in the digital revolution, particularly the youth.
5. Investing in youth means investing in infrastructure - The ANC will continue to invest in efficient infrastructure because infrastructure attracts domestic and foreign investments, thereby creating much-needed opportunities for the youth.
In conclusion, I urge the Youth of South Africa to never give up on your organisation, the ANC, your home.
We have a track record. We will listen and work with you to build a better life for all.
To the leadership of the ANCYL, remember what Fanon said, "Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfil it, or betray it"
Flowing from what what we have said and learning from history, the task of the youth league is clearly cut - the youth of this country is yearning for true leadership from the youth league, not the short term, tired, demagogic self-aggrandising rhetoric that we have been subject over the recent year the Youth League has been inactive.
Over the challenging years of the ANC youth league many gaps have been opened up in society and in particular in institutions if higher learning where the large youth Mass is.
Complicated the mission seems to be, learning from its own historical engagement of society we can see that it can be simply be : galvanizing South Africa's youth under the ANC's banner. Mobilise the youth of South Africa to help build a resilient economy that grows and creates opportunities for all.
The League must continue to play this role, particularly that of strengthening the ANC, because the ANC represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of South Africa.
Issued by ANCYL, 11 September 2023
