This year marks the 33^rd anniversary of June 16. It is also the 54^th anniversary of the Freedom Charter. The YCLSA takes both these occasions seriously in the context of making sure that the ANC Alliance delivers on the promises made during the April 22 elections. Our theme for both occasions ‘Organize, Agitate and Fight for decent work and free education'. We believe as the YCLSA that as the Class of '76 were confronted with Apartheid colonialism, the Class of 2009 and beyond should fight for food, jobs, access to better health-care and free education.

We dedicate our June 16 message to the thirteen [13] initiates who lost their lives in Mpumalanga province as a result of the patriarchal and backward initiation schools which are being ran in rural provinces of our country. For us, initiation schools represent the worse form of primitive socialisation of young boys into manhood. As the YCLSA we have a revolutionary duty to liberate the rural youth from being the chain prisoners of these patriarchal initiation schools.

We draw inspiration from the radicalism and militancy unleashed by the Class of '76 and beyond. They radicalism and militancy brought Apartheid down to its knees and into the dustbin of history. We aspire to have the orational skills of Tsietsi Mashinini, the mobalisational skills of Onkgopotse Tiro and the ideological understanding of Mzala Nxumalo.

June 16 was a watershed and a strategic turning point in the liberation struggle and played a key role in dislodging the racist Apartheid regime. On this 33^rd anniversary of June 16, we call on the working class and the poor youth in memory of the martyrs who perished on that fateful and tragic day to intensify the struggle for decent work, free education, affordable health-care and the fight against HIV/AIDS in sync with the ANC-led Alliance elections manifesto, which is now incorporated into the programme of the new administration led by President Jacob Zuma.

1. Cherishing the electoral victory of the ANC - Building Youth Power for Popular change!

The electoral victory of the ANC led Alliance on April 22, provides an exciting opportunity for the working class and the poor youth to advance our ideological agenda and interests. We are celebrating June 16 in a period which is characterised by contradictory realities as a result of the global financial crisis as posed by the failures of the barbaric Capitalist system. This crisis is now being felt by the majority of our people in our country especially by the working class and the poor youth, and calls upon us to devise means and mechanisms to deal with this crisis without the bourgeoisie dictating terms.

2. Mandate of Reserve Bank must be reviewed and focus on job creation!

This June 16, should be a clarion call to the working class and the poor youth to support NUMSA's mass actions which has been endorsed by COSATU to the South African Reserve Bank to demand for the scrapping of inflation targets policy and cutting of interest rates. It is our belief that the role of the Reserve Bank should be reviewed and redefined to focus on job creation and mitigating the global financial crisis in the midst of jobs bloodbath, repossessions of cars and houses by Capitalist institutions.

Through the lenses of the working class and the poor youth the Reserve Bank should be playing a key strategic role in job creation and meeting the demands of the working class and the poor within the overall political economy geared towards reversing the colonial and apartheid legacy.

3. We are not spectators in theatre of ideas, but actively involved to safeguard our future!

Since the 1994 democratic breakthrough, we have been told by our leaders and class enemies as young people to seize the opportunities as presented by the bourgeois democracy, and also we should not bore ourselves with the theories of Karl Marx etc. All these was part of the bourgeoisie and their puppets  strategy to alienate the youth from being actively involved in the body politics of our country and building a better future for ourselves as encapsulated in the Freedom Charter.

They wanted us as the youth to be spectators in the revolution whilst they mess up the country with neo-liberal policies and capture the ANC for their own class interests. Fortunately we have not been spectators, we liberated the ANC in Polokwane and recently we have delivered the ANC into power for the next five years under President Jacob Zuma.

4. We will hold our public representatives accountable on the election promises!

In memory of the martyrs of June 16 and other young heroes and heroines who perished in the line of duty is for us being in the forefront and actively involved in the implementation of the ANC lead Alliance elections manifesto to the latter; and also taking those who we have deployed into public offices accountable to the people. Our failures to appreciate the muscle and power we posses in making sure that government delivers and that public representatives are accountable - we will be cheating the revolution and the struggle started by our forbearers in 1976.

The President of the ANC and Republic Jacob Zuma, through the State of the Nation Address [SoNA], has called for the Nelson Mandela Day, as part of renewing the spirit of voluntarism amongst our people. This call is in line with our own Chris Hani Brigades, that of taking a lead in assisting our communities - Cde Chris being a symbol of sacrifices and voluntarism.

As the YCLSA we are throwing our full weight behind this call, and a foundation has been laid already by our elections volunteers. The central pillar of our work during this month of June is the revival of our campaigns in a mass scale and strengthening of our lower structures. The electoral victory of the ANC Alliance and the enthusiasm displayed by young people during the elections calls on us to continuously connect with the masses at all times.

5. National Youth Development Agency - a strategic weapon for youth development!

We are excited that the National Youth Development Agency [NYDA] is being formed by government in line with the ANC 52^ND National Conference last held in Polokwane. The establishment of the NYDA buries both the useless National Youth Commission and Umsobomvu Youth Fund which we were used to dispense patronage and corrupt genuine youth leaders.

The NYDA should be in the forefront of driving the youth development strategy whose main focus should be on the following key areas:

• Fighting poverty and unemployment;
• Redefining the role of youth in economic empowerment from individual-centeredness to collectivism;
• Broadening access to higher education and training;
• Fostering access to health-care and the fight against HIV/AIDS amongst the youth;
• Broadening access to land for residential and productive purposes;

We also call on young people to be actively involved in the structures of the Progressive Youth Alliance, as part of safeguarding their future and interests.

Statement issued by the Young Communist League, June 16 2009

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