We stand here on this occasion of the 45th anniversary of the Youth and Student uprising to welcome President Ramaphosa, Ministers and all participants to this province, and in uMgungundlovu District.

On such a momentous day of reflection, during this auspicious hour of renewal of our vows for the sacred course of freedom, we are enjoined to remember the immense sacrifices of the youth of our land in liberating our people from the shackles of racial oppression and systematic exclusion.

The fight against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction became an assault to racial domination, complete marginalisation and disenfranchisement of the toiling masses. We owe it to the militant and heroic June 76 generation to pay forward their sacrifices by sparing neither strength nor courage in creating a South Africa which is truly united, non-racial, non-sexist, equal, and prosperous.

While we note with disappointment incidences of racial intolerance at some of our schools twenty years since Durban hosted the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophopia and Related Intolerance, we make a solemn vow again on this 45th Anniversary of June 16 that we will leave no stone unturned to achieve the society which the June 16 MK Detachment and many of our people sacrificed for. As O R Tambo put it, “It is our responsibility to break down barriers of division and create a country where there will be neither Whites nor Blacks, just South Africans, free and united in diversity.”

We condemn in strongest terms the violence and violence perpetrated to any section of the society, including the attack and killing of members of the LGBTQIA+. The killing of 21 year old Anele Bhengu from KwaMakhutha is one tragic incident which portrays the depth of discrimination and the pervasiveness of hate crimes. We call on law enforcement organs to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to book.

Celebrating youth day here reminds us of young cadres who led the youth struggle from iMbali Youth Organisation, to South African Youth Congress and ANC Youth League. We remember Isaiah Ntshangase, Mzwandile Mbongwa, Stitch Ngubane and many others like the 1976 generation which chose to surrender itself in the cause of freedom, and thereby declared that life or death, victory is certain.

Since our 1994 democratic breakthrough, the ANC-led government has been working with the youth of our country to open the doors of education and culture as envisaged in the Freedom Charter. In honouring the legacy of Tsietsi Mashinini, Kgotso Seatlholo, Hastings Ndlovu, Hector Pieterson, Seth Mazibuko, Sibongile Mkhabela and many more, our government has been investing in the goal of achieving universal access to education, including grade R, and increasing access for black students at institutions of higher learning.

In six years, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) was augmented more than five times. As we know, it was R5.9 billion in 2014, and increased to R34,7 billion in 2020. In 2021/2022, NSFAS funding will exceed R43 billion. This year, more than R26 million from the KZN Premier’s Discretionary Bursary Fund is supporting no less than 170 students across tertiary institutions in South Africa.

KwaZulu-Natal is probably the only province that could boast a dedicated programme to train students in the aviation industry. Amongst these students is the 22 year old Sanele Mkhize from rural Dundee who qualified through this programme as a commercial pilot and has graduated to become a qualified instructor at Superia Aviation.

Fellow Compatriots, there can be no doubt that the crisis of youth unemployment in our country puts a stain on the sacrifices of the youth of 76. Our message to the youth of KwaZulu-Natal and our country is that they must not for a moment doubt our government’s commitment to address this challenge which is affecting many countries across the globe. We urge our youth to continue to work with us in finding solutions to this challenge. Like the youth of 76, today’s youth remains creative, innovative, and energised. They are agents of change who constantly remind us that they want a hand-up, not hand-outs. Their motto is: “nothing about us, without us”.

In KwaZulu-Natal, we have established a War Room on Jobs which is chaired by the Premier. We have insisted that youth employment must be mainstreamed by all departments. We will continue to engage the private sector to fulfil the commitments they have made towards job creation. In the last financial year, we exceeded our target of 100 000 job opportunities and achieved 137 000.

Appreciating that many new jobs will be created by SMMEs, we are supporting business development through a variety of mechanisms, including through the provincial Operation Vula Fund. We are rolling out over R300 million to fund projects run by SMME’s and cooperatives across KwaZulu-Natal. For 2021/2022, 1018 applications with a monetary value of more than R296 million have already been approved. A number of youth-owned enterprises received funding for more than R70 million in the first phase of the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Empowerment Fund. For the current financial year, we have set aside R50 million for the Youth Empowerment Fund to support youth-owned enterprises that are creating jobs.

Programme Directors, last week, the Provincial Executive Council in KwaZulu-Natal approved the Provincial Integrated Youth Development Strategy which is informed by local dynamics as well as the National Youth Policy 2020-2030. The Strategy looks comprehensively at youth development including the health and wellbeing of the youth. It targets youth groups like: Unemployed Youth, Young Women, Youth with Disabilities, School-aged-out of school youth, Youth in Rural Areas, Youth at Risk, Youth heading households, Youth in conflict with the law, and Youth characterised by substance abuse.

We are also compiling a database of the unemployed graduates in KwaZulu-Natal so that we can assist them more effectively. We are also delighted that the President is with us to officially launch the mobile offices which will take youth empowerment services to all corners of our province and ensure that our rural youth in particular are not left behind.

Despite the despair and gloom visited on youth by the devastation of Covid-19, there are pockets of achievements from the youth who shine brighter as they raise aloft the South African and the provincial flags through their achievements. Just to mention a few to encourage the youth of our country to not give up on their dreams.

Mongezi Bofolo: A Masters student from the University of KwaZulu-Natal has published a French-IsiZulu Manual of Conversations — the first of its kind book where French meets isiZulu.

Nokuthula Luthuli-Magwaza: Backed by 8 years of Corporate experience in Unilever management, Nokuthula founded Bloom Marketing, an integrated marketing communications agency, specializing in Marketing Strategy Development and Brand Activations based in Durban and Johannesburg.

Mr Cebo Gama, the founder of Vinyl Entertainment is a qualified Marketing and Business Management expert with corporate career background spanning over 6 years. Vinyl Entertainment as his brainchild was born while pursuing his passion as a DJ. He is the winner of uMyezane Award under the “Best Black Owned Business Category”.