BuaNews (Tshwane)
Shaun Benton
16 June 2008
Cape Town — The youth of South Africa can honour the memories of the fallen victims of South Africa's democratic revolution by focusing on education and personal skills development, says President Thabo Mbeki.
The President was speaking at the Youth Day celebrations held at the University of the Western Cape on Monday, were hordes of youngsters, men and women gathered to honour the students of 1976 who paved the way for democracy in South Africa.
He was accompanied by Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad, MEC for Safety and Security Leonard Ramatlkane, and Nomi Nkondo, Chair of the National Youth Commission.
President Mbeki called on the youth to extend their passion for freedom into educating themselves and contributing towards the cause of freedom, democracy and development.
"Whereas the youth of 1976 went into exile to train as soldiers of liberation, the youth of today should go to school and college or university to acquire the skills they would use for their advancement and the development of our country and continent," President Mbeki said.
The country needed good role models, he said, such as people who work with communities, those who help the poor and those who help to improve their neighbourhoods and respect other members of the community.
Traditional values such as respect for the elderly and the disabled as well as respect for Ubuntu were needed today as much as the fervour for change was needed in the days before 1994, the president said.
Mr Mbeki took a moment to remind the youth gathered at the event of their peers who were working in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in other parts of the continent on peacekeeping missions.
He said they were making a vital contribution to the country and the continent.
Thousands of South Africa's young people have served and continue to serve as peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Burundi, Sudan and other conflict zones.
President Mbeki made an appeal to all youth formations and the government's social partners - in business, labour, civil society - to enter into a wider, overall development plan that would situate South Africa's younger citizens as a central element
Former President Nelson Mandela also delivered a message, via a video link up.
He called for people to honour the memories of those who had sacrificed themselves, their freedom or their comfort for the cause of democracy for all South Africans.
The youth of today must not forget what those who had come before them had done, said Mr Mandela.
He said the youth should use the reward of democracy and "not lose sight of our dream".
All South Africans, the youth included, should "continue to promote the principle of relentless freedom and democracy", the former president said.
The Youth Commission Chair said the youth in South Africa were effected mostly by unemployment, with unemployment rate among the youth at 73 percent.
Ms Nkondo called on government to include youth development as one of the indicators of development and social transformation that it uses, and for the government to "facilitate an environment conducive to youth employment".
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