Note to editors: This is an extract of a speech prepared for delivery by DA leader Helen Zille at a DA Youth Day event in the Frischgewaagd township, north of Delareyville in the North West Province. It was among the first wards won by the DA that does not contain a single minority voter.

Fellow South Africans,

We are here today to commemorate a landmark event in our nation's history. It was 35 years ago today that the young people of Soweto rose up against the apartheid regime's language policy in education.

It would be another 15 years before Nelson Mandela was released from prison, but the die was cast on 16 June 1976. The Soweto Uprising was a turning point. It signaled a new-found resolve to fight for freedom.

Today, thanks to the efforts of those young people and many others, we live in a democracy that allows people to choose their political representatives. We have a constitution that guarantees our basic rights and protects us from power abuse.

And yet, despite all this, the struggle for freedom continues.

Too many South Africans continue to suffer because of apartheid's legacy. Apartheid's boot left a deep footprint that endures to this day. Until we can combat poverty, none of us can be truly free. We must make progress possible towards a better life for all.

Too many South Africans bear the emotional scars of our history. We must acknowledge the hurt that apartheid caused. We cannot deny or wish away the anger and resentment that persists. We must work to heal the wounds of the past.  We must listen to each other. We must try to understand one another.

Overcoming the material and emotional legacy of apartheid is our priority. More than that, it is our struggle. Redress and reconciliation; delivery and diversity. These are the pillars on which we must build the new South Africa.  It is the vision of the Rainbow Nation of Nelson Mandela.  

Our opponents claim to be Madiba's heirs, but undermine his legacy.  He was the great reconciler; he never used race to divide South Africans.  He was the champion of the open society. He was a man of humility and a friend of the poor. It is tragic that those who lay claim to his heritage are now trying to limit media freedom to hide corruption.  

The rise of this new political class, which Zwelinzima Vavi calls the predatory elite, has many people fearing for the future of the beloved country. One politician this week labeled them the "dangerous third generation."

But we are not afraid. We are more optimistic than ever.  Because there is a new cohort of young leaders emerging in our society. And they are coming through our ranks. A new generation is rising up.

Julius Malema is not the symbol of our country's youth.  For every Julius Malema, there is a Lindiwe Mazibuko. For every Anele Mda there is an Mbali Ntuli. For every Floyd Shivambu there is a Makashule Gana. 

It is no coincidence that a new generation which speaks the language of Nelson Mandela and pursues his vision are in the Democratic Alliance.  These young DA leaders are the future of our country. They care about our nation and its people deeply.  They want to work hard for all the people.  For them, public service is a calling, not a get-rich-quick scheme.

That is the difference between the two main parties in South Africa. When I asked your DA councilor David Malo how he won this ward, he said: "The ANC started out well, but now it doesn't care. It is not a party for the people anymore, it is for the leaders only. And the leaders only look after themselves. The DA is close to the people."

Nobody understands this better than David Malo. He joined the ANC as a young man in 1988, because, like many others, he hated what apartheid was doing to his people. He believed that the ANC would bring about opportunities for all in a democratic South Africa.

David says that the last 17 years have been a painful lesson. In this time, he has realized that the ANC has failed the people. He has come to understand how important it is to build an alternative that puts the people first. And this is exactly what he has been doing here in Frischgewaagd.

He had heard and read about what the DA was achieving in Cape Town and resolved to help bring about the same opportunities to the people of this area. And so he approached the local branch of the DA and offered to help. They were so impressed with his commitment and determination that they put him forward as a candidate for the local election. The rest, as they say, is history.

David went on to win the election on May 18 with 1,006 votes to the ANC's 960. It was the first time the DA had ever won a ward where there is not a single white, coloured or Indian voter - just black South Africans freely making a choice for the DA. The significance of this breakthrough should not be underestimated. 

We are celebrating June 16 here because this election result represents a watershed, not only for the DA or for Frischgewaagd, or even the North West -- but for South Africa.  Because we now live in a constitutional democracy, we do not need uprisings to bring change.  We all have the power of the vote.  And you, here in this far corner of this province, have used your power to bring the change you want to see. 

One day, May 18 will be regarded as a turning point for our democracy.   It will be seen as the day that South Africa started to move beyond race, the day our democracy progressed to the next level.

Frischgewaagd was the first victory of this kind that I heard about, and celebrated at the IEC Results Centre in Pretoria.  But it was not the only one.  We won similar voting districts all over South Africa, as well as another ward, similar to this one, in Moqhaka in the Free State. Out of every five people that voted for the DA across the country, one was a black South African.

We are gaining new supporters because we are taking the struggle forward. Like all of you gathered here today, a new generation of voters is beginning to compare the records of different parties in government. And they realize that THEY have the power, not the politicians.  The people are using that power the constitution gave them to hold their leaders to account. This is a right we must never take for granted.  The 1976 generation could not do this.  They could only make their voices heard through igniting a national uprising.  They started a chain of events that resulted in a new, negotiated constitution, a bill of rights and a democratic Parliament.  You fulfilled that vision because you used the rights they fought for.  You are the pioneers of a trend that will gain momentum across our country.

Whatever your age, you are the new generation of South Africans. You are on the rise. You won't accept corruption, poor service delivery or tolerate corruption.  You won't be blinded by rulers who play the race card. You want a fair chance to make a decent life for yourselves and to be the best you can be. There are millions more South Africans like you.

So, on this Youth Day, as we pay tribute to the young lions of the past, let us also celebrate a new generation of free-thinking South Africans. They are the young leaders of the future. They will take our struggle forward in the face of adversity, just as others did before them.

Issued by the DA, June 16 2011

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