By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says the youth of today must draw inspiration from the Class of 1976 and fight for free education.
Malema addressed the Youth Day Commemoration at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal.
Malema spend most of his speech calling for better quality, “decolonised” education, with free meals at schools, an end to pit toilets as well as free WiFi.
The latter, he said, should also be provided at all public facilities, including clinics.
“We don’t want bad education like the 1976, we want free education, we want quality education, we want a decolonised education.
“We want to say to Steve Biko ‘you did not die in vain, the black consciousness you preached in the 60s and the 70s that inspired the 1976 generation is inspiring us today’,”Malema added.
The EFF leader also took aim at the telecommunications companies, stating that data was currently too expensive, and questioning the logic behind expiring data.
“Data must fall! Data is expensive in South Africa! We want data to fall because data is information. You use data to look for information, to look for jobs, and when it is expensive, you don’t have access to those opportunities,” Malema said.
Malema also took a swipe at Jacob Zuma, saying voters should not to be swayed by his “simple lies”.
“You cannot lose power to an old man and say Zuma is the future. How can the old be the future? You are the future of this country. We cannot be led by an old man who misled us during his time.
“He never gave us jobs, and says he can give us jobs now.
“Now he says he will give you land. Why didn’t he give you land when he was president of South Africa, or when he was deputy president of this country?”
Steenhuisen in Mpumalanga
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen marked Youth Day in Mpumalanga by condemning South Africa’s record-high youth unemployment.
He was addressing the June 16 Youth Day on Monday in Mahushu, outside Hazyview, in Mpumalanga.
“We remember the courage of the 1976 generation who stood up against injustice and demanded the right to equal education. They refused to be told that their future would be dictated by an unjust government. And yet, almost half a century later, one injustice has been replaced with another. Not in the classroom, but in the unemployment queue.”
“Youth unemployment in South Africa today is the highest in the world. Over 8.7 million young people are not in employment, education, or training. That’s not just a statistic — it’s a national tragedy. It is a violation of dignity, a theft of potential, and a failure of justice,” said the DA leader.
He said the DA is making a difference to the lives and livelihoods of all South Africans, but more needs to be done.
He pointed to the progress in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands’ uMngeni Municipality, saying that under DA Mayor Chris Pappas, monthly graduate dialogues connect unemployed youth to municipal internships.
Zuma in Claremont.
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party officially launched its youth league in Clermont, west of Durban.
This comes more than a year since the party’s formation.
MK Party leader Jacob Zuma said he believes it is the youth of South Africa who must lead the campaign to address the problems faced by the citizens.
“I don’t think we should keep quiet and wait that until there is an occasion bla bla bla. We are still oppressed but the oppression of this time is at another level, and we should not accept it,” he said.
Moving onto internal party matters, Zuma said the party is not beholden to anyone, and no one will be begged to stay.
“Let us not take this organisation as an organisation that you come to make money. This is not the organisation to make money. It is an organisation to liberate South Africa,” said Zuma.