YCLSA message of support to the ANCYL 25th National Congress

Leadership of the African National Congress, Leadership of ANCWL, Leadership of the ANCYL, COSAS, SASCO, distinguished guests, Delegates, Comrades and friends.

Let me for and on behalf of the 4th National Congress National Committee and the rank and file membership of YCLSA, say receive special greetings from the beautiful young reds.

Since the official launch of ANCYL in 1944, the African National Congress Youth League has remained a dependable and reliable ally not only on the liberation struggle, the struggle for National Democratic Revolution but on the struggle for championing the needs and aspirations of the young people of our country. The Youth League has been a thinking tank for the ANC not vice versa. Young people should refuse to outsource their responsibility and their capabilities.

As we deliver our message, we first want to tell you that your destiny and the future of the ANCYL, ANC and our revolution are in your hands.

Our message to this 25th ANCYL National Congress is simple and clear “Let’s build a strong Progressive Youth Alliance and defend the revolution”.

The Progressive Youth Alliance is a principled alliance; it is an alliance of sharing the same pain, of leading almost the same membership, where we together constitute the future of our country. There is no individual or even an amount of challenge can break this alliance. This alliance carries the needs and aspirations of the most frustrated and marginalized youth. Through to our collective efforts, our unity and shared understanding, we have a huge responsibility to rally, mobilize, educate and lead the youth of our country.

When one of our own is experiencing difficulties, ours is to rise to the occasion and provide leadership.

This congress is convened under the theme “Unity in action towards economic freedom in our life time: Rebuilding the ANCYL and reshaping the future”.  In order for the ANCYL to respond scientifically on the theme for this congress , we would like to share Engels quotation “The materialist conception of history starts from the proposition that the production of the means to support human life and, next to production, the exchange of things produced, is the basis of all social structure; that in every society that has appeared in history, the manner in which wealth is distributed and society divided into classes or orders is dependent upon what is produced, how it is produced, and how the products are exchanged. From this point of view the final causes of all social changes and political revolutions are to be sought, not in man’s brains, not in man’s better insight into eternal truth and justice, but in changes of the modes of production and exchange. They are to be sought, not in the philosophy, but in the economics of each particular epoch.”

We view your theme as a response to the catastrophic challenges facing the youth of our country and your organization. If we were to respond to your theme, we would say a history of revolutionary struggles across the world proves that the future and destiny of any organization depend on the popular support anchored on mass mobilization coupled with mass politicization and conscientization of its members. If we stray from the working class youth and lose their support we will end up in failure. We must bear in mind that, the new challenges require committed cadre ship, cadre ship that understands new circumstances. As part of reshaping the future we must organize the youth, communicate with them, educate them, service them, learn from them and let us subject ourselves to their oversight. If we do so we will be implementing the theme of this congress and young people will continue to join the organization, and reshaping the future will be in action.

NEW DEAL FOR WORKING CLASS YOUTH

As you all know that we convened our 4th National Congress last year December and we resolved as part of our ongoing programmes in the new deal for working youth in our country. Our 2nd National Council declaration made the following worth-noting observation: “in our country, millions of young people are unemployed, and suffer from class inequalities, exploitation and poverty. This reflects a toxic interaction between the endemic crises of imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism and the persisting legacy of colonial and apartheid capitalism despite progress achieved since the 1994 democratic breakthrough. Many young people have no access to skills development opportunities, such as apprenticeships, leanerships, internships and experiential training, because our economy is dominated by private enterprises which have a single motive, profit making’’.

 We resolved on the youth deal for the working class youth informed that there is a compelling case to focus on the aspirations and desires of the working class youth as a strategic choice for the Young Communist league. The most marginalized and excluded is the working class youth. Working class youth bear the brunt of unemployment, social exclusion and often lack the agency to take advantage of the opportunities opened up by democracy.

Most of the so-called not-in-employment –education –or-training (NEET), youth are young people from working class families and communities. Majority of young people in conflict with the law are young people from working class families. The drug scourge of Nyaope afflicts most black working class communities.

The New Deal for young people from working class youth should focus on:

Intensifying campaigns for better education to skill youths, and co-operatives to fundamentally change the economy.

Initiating much more urgent moves to redress poverty, inequality and unemployment, this all disproportionately affected South African youths.

Focus on the need not only for greater participation in popular governance structures, but also key concerns of stubbornly high levels of unemployment of young people, and an education system which does not seem to produce the right skills to ensure young people can secure jobs.

Arguing for a democratic culture of service and social solidarity to counter “crass materialism and individualism”, where we argues that without extensive youth mobilization democracy would remain “shallow” in the prevailing mass poverty, unemployment and inequality. “We cannot take it for granted that ANC dominance of politics necessarily means the values young people are brought under are democratic and progressive.

As part of our action plan we have proposals also on how to look at health, particularly keeping an eye on primary health programmes and the extension of school health services in partnership with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu).

Emphasis on prevention, health promotion and rehabilitation, and the need for a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health rights programme, including family planning, access to safe abortions and the distribution of male and female condoms, and grassroots campaigns against substance abuse.

Connecting young people to employment opportunities including short term employment such as Expanded Public Works Programme.

Opening training and second chance opportunities for young people that have not completed secondary education.

Scaling up National Youth Service to draw large numbers of young people into community service.

Improving working condition and pay for youth across the economy including in the service sector.

Having outlined our new deal for the working class youth, the youth of our country faces may challenges, let me take the opportunity to call for unity of the African National Congress Youth League, which is sacrosanct and without which nothing is going to be possible. Of course we must always debate with each other; we will always have different approaches and sometimes even sharp differences on certain tactical questions. But let us not be tempted to devour each other because of some differences. Let us not go back to using labels , trying to isolate , politically murder one another, and character assassinate each other as if there is no tomorrow. Let us never forget that we are bound together by strategic agreements on the need for a deep and radical transformation of our society. Let us not damage our unity, because without this weapon we will be all be weakened.

We must never forget that as the current generation of youth in our country, we have a very important role to play in the revolution. We must be the standard bearers, the most vigorous champions of the revolution; we must be the loudest sector of the people, the most energetic and dynamic. We must be the best soldiers and first defenders of the revolution.

As we conclude , allow me to quote the closing remarks of the 20th ANCYL National Congress President Closing remarks Cde Malusi Gigaba “ Often , we have allowed ourselves to be driven by interests that are contrary to the urgency of unity. Particularly, when positions are concerned, we have often tended to shut our eyes and ears to the very questions we raise in theory and flush away in practice. The end result of all this that we destroy the organization. This organization was, built over decades by successive generations of youth cadres, dedicated to the freedom of their people right to the end, was built through blood and sweat, life and limb. We today’s generation have no right to destroy it”

We want to express our deepest and sincere gratitude for inviting us, we truthfully honored, we feel happy and we feel at home.

As Ufasimba, we wish your 25th National Congress a resounding success.

Issued by YCLSA, 7 September 2015