Bottom+Line,+YCLSA,+Issue+3,+Vol+15,+1+November+2006

The Bottom Line, Issue 3, Vol 15: 1 November 2006

 * In this issue:**


 * **The Youth want simple things**
 * **YCL approaches Minister Pandor, Conducts poll on School Violence Summit**

=The Youth want simple things=




 * Buti Manamela**

On instruction by the National Committee, I visited the Eastern Cape with an extensive programme of assessing the level of progress and activism of our structures from the Provincial Executive Committee down to branches. This task was mammoth and the time was not our favorite friend. I managed to visit the OR Tambo District, Chris Hani District and Mbuyiselo Ngwenda District. The level of activism and commitment from our structures, although at a varying level, was high and inspiring. The morale was high and the beautiful natural landscape of the Eastern Cape kept us in good company. The people were good and welcoming, and provided everything of the little they have.

This showed that indeed we have managed since the re-establishment Congress to ensure that we build structures that attends to the issues of the day affecting young people.

As usual, issues that dominated our agenda included the scourge of HIV/AIDS, poverty and unemployment as the major problems affecting the youth of our country. The unity and commitment of the Progressive Youth Alliance in the OR Tambo District displayed the extent within which we can achieve more if we remain united. The extent of collective work and dedicated focus by the ANCYL and the YCLSA in that district is perhaps a model we need to export to all the districts of our organization.

Again, we learnt that the youth want simple things. They are not in the business of demanding sophisticated things such as GEAR and ASGISA, but simple things such as jobs, water, shelter, education, healthcare and economic participation. These are simple things which our government perhaps complicates by providing Gautrain, buying arms and developing big infrastructure without consult ting and taking along the youth.

From the Eastern Cape, I joined the march of the PYA to demand yet another simple thing, that there be a blanket amnesty for all those who have been blacklisted in the credit beraux. We insisted in our message at that march that unless the youth are removed from the credit beraux they will never benefit from the opportunities provided for by the FIFA World Cup in 2010, which South Africa is hosting. We further said that the economic development and participation by youth demand the will and commitment from business, government and the credit beraux to ensure that they support us. This march further symbolized the extent of the unity of the PYA and the focus and dedication we have in addressing the simple things the youth demands.

As part of the delegation of the SACP to Cuba, we are scheduled to meet with various people and have already met with the First Secretary of the Union of Young Communists (UJC), my Cuban counterpart. In that meeting, he insisted that "this (Cuba) is not a perfect society, but the government has given (us) the task, mandate and responsibility to ensure that we make the best out of it." We of course saw the best and the worst of Cuba, but perhaps let us step back and ponder.

The Cubans youth, led by the UJC, thrives to achieve simple things through the spirit of volunteerism, dedication and commitment to build a strong Cuba. This is done under extreme circumstances given the US embargo which prohibits, indirectly or directly, economic trade between Cuba and the outside world. This is also done emerging from a series of natural disasters and serious economic declines. Instead of succumbing when the Soviet Union collapsed, Cuba dedicated itself to the rebuilding of their economy and prioritizing the simplest of things for its youth and its citizens to foster the spirit of commitment and unity.

The youth of Cuba are prepared and committed to participate in the achievement of simple things through the development of their economy by drawing young people in social work (what we call community development workers), the youth brigades, Battle of Ideas and many other programmes which intervenes in education, healthcare and hunger.

The youth of Cuba definitely receives support from their government, which has the political will and commitment towards ensuring that these simple things are achieved. On the other hand, the youth in the Eastern Cape, and throughout our country, know what our government is capable of and are demoralized when the simple things they need are not forthcoming. Thus, in Lusikisiki and Libode we spoke of unity through struggle and action by the youth of our country so as we attain, with our will and commitment, these simple things.

Many governments, sometimes including ours, have declared Cuba and socialism a failure and believe that pursuance of capitalism is the only available and viable route available for their people. This has not been demonstrated during my entire stay in Cuba. I asked myself as to who is really failing.

I have seen a people who determine their level of success by the attainment of simple things. I have seen a people whose major need is food for all and not luxurious cuisines for few. I have seen a people whose major need is shelter for all and not mansions for few. I have seen a people whose major need is access to health for all and not medical aid for few. That is their standard of success, and any success that does not include all is a collective failure of the system.

If a simple thing such as free education cannot reach every child in Lusikisiki and Libode, but every child in Cuba, no matter where they are, receive free education, then who is failing?

If a simple thing such as healthcare cannot reach a child in Mdantsane but every 100 family in Cuba has a doctor attending to them for free, then who is failing?

If a simple thing such as a house cannot reach the poor in Nelson Mandela Metro whilst 85% of the Cubans pay not more than 10% of their income as rent, then who is failing?

In 1963, the Cubans celebrated the total wiping out of illiteracy, restoring the dignity for all Cubans, whilst in our country, illiteracy is still rampant. Need I ask again who is failing?

How many people can we empower with degrees, diplomas, PhD's, Masters Degrees and Honors Degrees with R20 billion instead of building an elite train such as Gautrain? How many anti-retroviral drugs can we provide with R20 billion instead of the Arms Deal?

The success of our economy cannot only be determined by fancy things such as massive stadiums that we build, but by the number of nutritious meals we provide for the poverty stricken families. Nice sounding catchphrases such as Asgisa will not mobilize our people for the defense of our democracy, but simple things such as housing will.

From now on, the youth must take a stance and demand that nothing for us without us, and simple things for us and fancy things later.

If indeed Cuba and socialism is a failure, then South Africa and capitalism are a catastrophe. We are not demanding a perfect society, but the best out of every situation. That's the Bottomline, cos the YCL said so!

=YCL approaches Minister Pandor, Conducts poll on School Violence Summit=

The YCL has written a letter to the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, asking her to convene a Summit to discuss the escalating violence in schools and necessary interventions needed in that regard.

In our letter, the National Secretary of the YCL, Buti Manamela, suggested a possible focus of the Summit being the following;


 * To develop immediate workable responses to the current problems in schools
 * To identify underlying causes of violence and anti-social behaviour in schools, and to begin to develop programmes to address these areas in the medium to long terms
 * To establish networks and processes to bring to bear the collective weight and wisdom of stakeholders on the problems identified
 * To act as a springboard for a national campaign in the schools and communities to combat crime and violence, and to secure commitment from all stakeholders to a code of conduct which supports the culture of learning and teaching, and outlaws anti-social behaviour.

We reiterate our view that suggestions of a random search, taking the learners back to their homes or isolating them, or a R5 million allocation to provinces to deal with the problem are merely unilateral and cannot replace a Strategy to deal with the problem of school violence. We needed a collective strategy based on community experiences and solutions, rather than a bureaucratic knee jack approach.

The YCL is also conducting a Poll on whether people do support the call for the convening of a summit. We call on the public to participate in the poll on our website (www.ycl.org.za). The public can also submit comments on what their views are by SMS to 082 567 3557 (Standard rates apply) or email to __[[mailto:castro@ycl.org.za.%7C**__castro@ycl.org.za__**__|mailto:castro@ycl.org.za.|**__castro@ycl.org.za__**]]__]]. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it. Written submissions can be made to Young Communist League, P. O. Box. 1027, Johannesburg, 2000.

All messages received will be posted on the site.

We cannot live school violence to chance. Together we can end this escalating problem in schools. Issued by the Young Communist League National Office

For more information contact:

YCL Spokesperson Cell: 082 567 3557
 * Castro Ngobese**

From: **[]**

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