In his keynote address to the 2010 Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans You Must Take to Lunch gathering, Executive Director of the Mapungubwe Institute (MISTRA) and former Head of the Policy Coordination Advisory Unit in the Presidency Joel Netshitenzhe begins by asking the pertinent question: what should be done to ensure that young South Africans in general break free of the psychology of marginalisation?

As we head to the upcoming national elections that are going to be significant in terms of shaping the future of our nation, this is a critical question that needs to be addressed as the youth of South Africa find themselves on the periphery of most political and economic activity within our country. How do we move towards a politics that begins to address the challenge of youth marginalisation in our society?

Firstly, we need to confront the challenge of youth apathy when it comes to involvement in our politics and more specifically to exercising their hard won right to vote. We need to encourage and mobilise our young people to go out and register to vote and to see their vote as a critical agent of change as we pursue a South Africa that has better social cohesion, greater economic inclusivity and better opportunities for all, with no strata of society being marginalised as we are currently witnessing.

We need to encourage our youth to adopt the message of hope and renewal for our nation that the Presidency of Cyril Ramaphosa has ushered in, with youth focussed initiatives such as the YES initiative launched by the President in partnership with the private sector and other stakeholders adding further credence to the mantra that youth are the critical role players in shaping our economy and our country. It is the youth of South Africa who must work together to create a better South Africa under the auspices of the #Thuma Mina spirit of President Ramaphosa.

It is imperative that young people in this country take hold of the opportunity that the moment we are in presents, to actively participate in the renewal and restoration of our society, in ridding our society of corruption and malfeasance, in fighting unemployment and poverty. All of this means that our youth cannot afford to be passive and disillusioned about the state of our politics. Rather our youth should be at the forefront of the drive for change and a better life for all or in the words of the poet Robert Herrick, “gather ye rosebuds while ye may”, carpe diem, seize the day. This means the drive to mobilise young people to register in numbers over the upcoming weekend, should be at the forefront of our priorities as a nation.

In the words of Joel Netshitenzhe from the speech referred to above, “And so my message is a simple one. South Africa stands at the cusp of decision. Whether we tip in the direction of faster progress depends to a large measure on whether we unlock the talent of the nation’s youth.” Young people have always been at the forefront of all societal change and progress and it is their energy, creativity, intensity, drive, passion and ingenuity which remain the great hope of this nation. It is to the youth that we look to in pursuit of a better South Africa, a better continent and a better humanity.

So young South Africans must break free of the psychology of marginalisation and actively participate in shaping the future of our country. As part of doing this, we need all our young people to exercise their right to vote and choose the type of leadership that they believe will best serve the interests of the country. To paraphrase the words of the poet Walt Whitman, “the powerful play goes on and you as young people may contribute a verse. “So, young South Africans let us go out there in droves and register to vote over the weekend, because as Joel Netshitenzhe has highlighted, “youth are the leaders of today, not of tomorrow.” This is the chance we have to change the present and shape the future for the betterment of the lives of all South Africans

Mugabe Ratshikuni works for the Gauteng provincial government; He is an activist with a passion for social justice and transformation. He writes here in his personal capacity.