Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has rallied the youth to be resilient in the face of the challenges currently besetting the country, saying this would propel the country to greater heights.
The Minister on Wednesday hosted a dialogue on youth sustainability during COVID-19. During the dialogue, various youth who have received social development services spoke about how they had been impacted by the pandemic.
“[You] have to be resilient,” she said. “Your being here is a testimony to the work that you do not only in your own families, in your own homes or in your streets but the work that you do from your communities.”
She reiterated President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Youth Day message of patriotism. In his address, the President asked the youth to be patriotic, committed and consistent.
“This requires hard work. He [President Ramaphosa] said you are a generation that is born into democracy and therefore you must take greater interest in the development and destiny of your own country,” Zulu said.
She said while the country faced challenges of low economic growth, high rates of youth unemployment, skills development, economic empowerment, among others, the youth could not moan and groan.
“I think what I’m mostly excited about today is the fact that most of the young people who spoke today didn’t come here to moan and groan and say so and so is not doing this for us,” she said.
“All of them individually they came here to say we see a challenge, we see a problem, and this is what we’re doing about it. We are looking for government to create a conducive environment in order for us to be able to work.”
In such platforms, she said it was important that government departments and agencies be on hand to share services and products that would contribute to youth upliftment.
“Invite the private sector because the building of this country is not only for government, it is for everybody to contribute to this building of this country,” said Zulu.
She urged the youth to gain as much knowledge as possible as they embark on their respective journeys.
The notion of today’s youth being a lost generation needed to be debunked.
“I don’t believe in that. I believe that you are facing new challenges that need you to be resilient, that need you to look at the opportunities around you,” she said.
It was pleasing to hear how speakers had benefitted from government programmes and they had in turn pursued their businesses.
“I want to say to you that it’s important for you to understand and appreciate the strategies, the plans and the implementation plans of government, the plans that we have for helping people to change their lives, their creation of the conducive environment for you to do that.”
She called on the youths to analyse the District Development Model, which helps the country understand a district’s economy, its challenges and opportunities.
“Know your district, know its capabilities and possibilities, know the business that is around your district and go to the offices of local government to find out what is it that you can do in order for you to be supported in all the programs that were clearly stipulated and articulated by all of you here,” she said.
The youth, she said, were the country’s future and should not undermine their capability to contributing in building a better South Africa.
“But first and foremost, focus on building yourself through behavioral change. When you see that things are not coming right, go out and get the information, influence others around you for a behavioral change,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
