Speech by DA Youth Leader, Makashule Gana, during Youth Day celebrations in East London, June 16 2011:
Youth Day 2011 - Overcoming the new struggles together
In 2011 we have clearly seen the strength of youth movements globally. We have seen youth across the Middle East and Africa standing up, sending out a clear message, fighting for freedom and democracy and taking responsibility for their future.
These protests and revolutions began in Tunisia, spreading to Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Libya, all have been characterized by young people collectively deciding what they are and are not willing to tolerate, taking a stand against injustice and autocratic regimes, recognizing that if they don't stand up for themselves, for their futures, no one else will.
We have seen the strength, energy and passion of youth who fight for what they believe in, who take charge of their futures rather than becoming victims of their circumstances.
The DA Youth was created to drive national issues facing the young people of South Africa, our organization was created to fill the void in leadership for young people of South Africa, and the fast growth of our organization is an indication of how very real that need is.
I truly believe that in the DA youth we can see the future of South Africa, this is a bright future, a future of non-racialism, a future where it does not matter where you come from and who you know, but who you are and what you have achieved, what you wish to achieve.
But of course, while we are always looking toward the future it is also important to know our past, we cannot ignore our history, we must embrace it, embrace what has been achieved, take inspiration from those who believed in the future of South Africa during the dark days of Apartheid, those great leaders who came before us, who recognized that if they did not take responsibility not only for their personal futures, but also for the future of all South Africans, no-one else would.
Today is an important day in the history of South Africa, it was today in 1976 that thousands of schoolchildren marched to the Orlando Stadium in Soweto to protest against the enforcement of Afrikaans to be used as a language of instruction in all schools. June 16 1976 saw an unspeakable tragedy occur in South Africa as Apartheid police fired on innocent schoolchildren undertaking a peaceful protest against an oppressive government.
The chaos, riots, violence and brutality that ensued resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. The Soweto Uprisings shocked and horrified the world, and clearly demonstrated the courage of the youth of Soweto. The protest of June 16 was organized completely by the students involved. The Soweto Uprisings changed the face of the struggle against Apartheid; it was the youth that brought the struggle to the townships and urban areas.
Today we celebrate Youth Day because it is the day South African youth, the schoolchildren of Soweto, made their voices heard, sending a message not only to the Apartheid government but also to the world. That message was, "we know what we want for our future, and we are willing to do what is necessary to achieve that."
As the DA Youth let us make sure that message is not lost, let us take inspiration from the past of our great nation and not respond to challenges and difficulties we face with apathy and as a victim but rather as leaders, leaders who know what they want for the future and are willing to take the leap to achieve that future. Let the DA Youth lead the way in taking responsibility for our future.
We stand here together today, the youth branch of the most diverse political party in South Africa because the youth before us fought for political freedom, freedom of association and freedom to create the future you wish.
I believe it is up to the DA Youth to pick up that torch of youth leadership and lead the way to a truly non-racial society, to build a greater South Africa together and to entrench democracy and freedom so that nobody can ever threaten the rights of South Africans again. As the DA Youth it is up to us to lead the way so that one day, our children, and our children's children can celebrate this day, celebrating what we achieved to make South Africa a better place to live in.
As we stand here today we are facing numerous challenges and difficulties, not least of these is youth unemployment. If current levels of unemployment among the youth remains where it is, it will begin to threaten the stability of South Africa. Youth are not getting the education, the skills and the experience they need to enter the job market, running the risk of permanent exclusion from the economy. This trend needs to be reversed. The DA youth has made a big drive to push for a youth wage subsidy, and I am pleased to say we have been successful, with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announcing a plan to implement aspects of our suggestions in his budget speech.
However, when faced with challenges and difficulties, every individual can choose how to respond to their circumstances. You can be a passive victim of youth unemployment, or you can choose to create your own opportunities and actively drive economic development. It comes down to deciding whether or not you are willing to take responsibility for your own future.
I urge you to look for success stories, to see what people have done and learn lessons from those who have forged the path you wish to follow, whatever path that may be. South Africa needs innovators; we need young people to start taking initiative, building companies, and creating business out of great ideas. We need to start working to build a flourishing economy that includes all South Africans, if we do not take responsibility for the future of South Africa nobody else will.
Learn and take inspiration from those who have gone before us. One of South Africa's great success stories is Herman Mashaba, one of the founders of Black Like Me. Herman started his business in the dark days of Apartheid. What Herman Mashaba wanted out of life was worlds apart from what society at that time expected him to achieve as a black man in South Africa. Against all odds Herman achieved what he desired from life, giving the middle finger to the hateful belief that as a black man all his only options were to be a gardener or a security guard.
He began by selling cosmetics door to door, learning about business and sales. Then on Valentine's Day, 1985 Herman Mashaba, along with two business partners founded Black Like Me, manufacturing the products by night and cold selling them by day. Mashaba and his partners grew the company into a successful, truly South African brand, he succeeded because he identified a need in the market and filled it. As the company grew they faced continual challenges.
In 1993 a fire destroyed the entire manufacturing facility, but instead of responding with despondency and despair they worked tirelessly and two weeks later they were operating from new premises, regaining manufacturing capacity and re-establishing the distribution network. Mashaba expanded into the rest of Africa and today Black Like me remains a leader in black hair care and cosmetics across the continent.
Herman Mashaba was not only born and bred in a society that treated him as a passive subject with no hope for an independent future, he also built up a thriving business in this hostile environment. Herman took a look at the options life offered him and decided he needed to create his own options.
He understood from the very beginning that it was up to him to take responsibility for his future. Today he speaks proudly of his achievements, not only as a business man but also as a human being. Machaba says: "I operate as an autonomous human being. I don't rely on others for success and I don't blame them for my failings."
The DA Youth will step up to the challenges facing young South Africans as Herman Mashaba stepped up to those of 1985. We will take responsibility for the economic future of South Africa, the environmental future of South Africa and the social future of South Africa. Successful democracies and flourishing nations rely on an active citizenry and I urge all of you to step up to this challenge with us, to be that active citizenry.
Get involved in volunteering to help those less fortunate then yourselves, decide where your strengths are and focus your energies on those activities. As much as we need entrepreneurs we also need social workers, mathematicians, artists, doctors, artisans - it does not matter where your skills lie or what you want to achieve, it is about creating a future, not only for personal self betterment but for the building of a unified and truly equal South African nation.
Issued by the DA, June 16 2011
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