By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) leadership has congratulated its youth structure for reaching a milestone, just more than two months after its national elective conference, the first since its disbandment in 2013.
The party’s youth structure held 79th anniversary celebrations at Ga Morwe Kameelrivier Stadium in Dr JS Moroka Municipality, Mpumalanga, on Sunday.
“The youth must not allow the struggles and sacrifices of our forebears to be in vain. Our forebears fought so that we are equipped to address the twin tasks of the ANC Youth League,” the party said in a statement.
The ANC further said that as the youth structure of the governing party, they looked forward to initiatives from the Youth League that will ensure that young people defend the gains of democracy so that the National Democratic Revolution is not undermined.
“The ANC stands ready to support the Youth League to lead efforts to establish sufficient support and diversionary programmes available for youth through more community recreational, sports, and educational facilities.”
“Furthermore, the ANC stands ready to support the Youth League in ensuring that the energies of young people lend vigour and dynamism to the process of social transformation by organising and campaigning around issues of special interest to young people in both economic and social spheres,” added the party.
The ANC further said that the youth league would continue with the spirit of the 1944 generation, which heralded the beginning of the youth league.
“May the current generation pick up the baton,” read the statement.
During the celebrations, Deputy President Paul Mashatile told supporters at the stadium that although the ruling party has achieved a “better life” for many, more still needed to be done to fight poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
Mashatile said, government was aware unemployment mostly affected young people. He urged young people to become entrepreneurs and not set their eyes only on employment opportunities.
“As government, when we are busy coming up with schemes and plans to grow the economy and create jobs, we do that primarily to ensure we can benefit the youth. We want you to get jobs, but we also want you to be entrepreneurs. Our government has programmes to support the youth to become business people.”
ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE ANC, SP MASHATILE, AT THE 79TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS YOUTH LEAGUE (ANCYL) #ANCYL79 pic.twitter.com/Au8UXBpzyA— African National Congress (@MYANC) September 11, 2023
ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Collen Malatji wants the government to pay unemployed graduates a monthly stipend of R4,500.
“We are calling upon the ANC-led government to increase and introduce an unemployment grant. While young people are still looking for opportunities, there must be a grant that is provided for them to be able to move and look for those opportunities.
“We are saying while we are still looking for opportunities the R350 unemployment grant must be increased to R1,500, until the matter of employment is resolved. Unemployed graduates must be paid R4,500 a month,”Malatji told hundreds of supporters.
National Treasury told President Cyril Ramaphosa and his ministers that the government will have to make drastic decisions if it wants to continue paying the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant.
Treasury suggested that the grant could be funded by a 2% increase in VAT or the ending of dozens of government initiatives, including visible policing, the expanded public works programme, the mine health and safety inspectorate, welfare support, and environmental protection, and other intervention programmes on food security and informal settlement upgrades.