YCL+of+SA,+June+16+30th+Anniversary+message

YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE OF SA
=JUNE 16 30TH ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE=


 * 1. From anti – Apartheid to anti - Capitalism**

This year is the 30th Anniversary of June 16. It is also the 84th Anniversary of the Young Communist League. The YCL takes both occasions seriously and in the context of our growing democracy and social upliftment for youth. Our theme for both the occasions is **//“From anti – Apartheid to anti – capitalism”//**. We believe as the YCL that as the class of ’76 were confronted with Apartheid, the class of 2006 and beyond should fight against Capitalism.

We see the victories accumulated by the class of ’76 being a build up, a connection, and a lesson for us. As apartheid entrenched racial division, capitalism fosters class division. It divides society on the basis of those who have and those who do not have. We draw two lessons as the YCL from all of these.

Firstly, we are inspired by the icons of the ’76 revolution who were selfless and dedicated to defeat the enemy of Apartheid. Secondly, we learn that society, no matter by what, cannot be divided on the basis of colour or race. That we are all equal, and thus, none should die because of the greed and selfishness of the other. It is these lessons and courageous acts that unites us as youth in the fight against the economic and political system of Apartheid.


 * 2. Cherishing our democracy – building on the Post – Apartheid Gains**

For the past 12 years, dramatic changes have been made to the lives of youth, especially the historically oppressed. These includes access to education, building an racially integrated schooling system, defeating the racial barriers of quality education and developing a common education system.

In the higher education fold, the democratic government has introduced a qualitative, integrated education system that is based on academic excellence and skills development. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme has helped thousands of learners to advance academically. There has been massive building of houses, electrification, water points, better sanitation and accessible health care. All of these were done in the backdrop of Apartheid under – development. The youth of our country have been introduced to sporting facilities and the defeat of Apartheid has ensured exposure to the International entertainment industry. Surely the commitment of the ANC headed government to change the lives of ordinary people has more and more brought fruits to the tree of liberation.


 * 3. The Challenge is to do more.**

Since 1994, the ANC headed government set itself various socio – economic targets. It gas made various economic and political choices. Some of those were brought positive off – spins, whilst others have been to the detriment of our democracy. The introduction of Gear – our macro-economic strategy – 10 years ago, has resulted in a liberal approach towards development. Concentration on a tight fiscal policy, uncontrollable and unaccountable targeting of inflation, reduction of tariffs and many other policies and focus led to encouragement of speculative investments, which created false growth.

Since then, more and more jobs were lost, quality service in the transport, energy, construction and telecommunications were compromised in the interest of profits. Millions of jobs were compromised, the quality of jobs (and wages) were low and more and more joined the poverty line. This further happens in a world of extreme opulence and increasing greed. Our country has become more and more divided on this basis.

Today, 70% young people have joined the unemployment que; 51% of those lives below the poverty line; only 20% of youth are furthering their studies and 55% of the prison population falls under the youth category. The challenge is to do more.


 * 4. Fighting the culture of competition in our society!**

As an organisation, we are worried by the excessive worship of money amongst young people. Crass materialism has become the order of the day. This has its roots in many ways, including multiple promotion of consumerism on the communication medium targeting exclusively the emerging middle class youth, and the tendency by some struggle heroes to thoughtlessly and in a vulgarised manner accumulate as much money as possible.

This tendency has also encroached itself in the movement, and has corrupted genuine youth who have become vulnerable due to unemployment and poverty. The desire to have as big a house as possible; as porch a car as possible and as much money as possible should be halted and fought against. These desires have resulted into youth resorting to crime and prostitution, whilst destroying the values of a caring and humble society, which we believe the National Democratic Revolution, should build.

This characteristics of the youth of 2006, which are not necessarily general, but predominant, are encouraged by a capitalist society built on the values of competition, and have divided our society on the basis of those who have and those who don’t; those who die because of too much food and those who do not; those who are employed and those who are not. The excessive number of youth in prison should be very embarrassing for a newly democratic dispensation.

As an economic policy, black economic empowerment has done too little to bridge this above divide. It has succeeded in only bridging the race divide, whilst further embedded the class divide. As the YCL, we will work together with the June 16, 76 detachment to ensure that we fight this excessive crass materialism. We will further work with youth in schools, universities, prisons, townships and rural areas to ensure that we restore the values of a caring and humane society, whilst fighting against the dog – eat – dog mentality.


 * 5. Transforming institutions of Youth Development to serve the needs and interests of youth.**

We need an integrated youth development strategy whose main role will be to look into the following:


 * Fighting poverty and unemployment;
 * Fostering access to health care;
 * Redefining the role of youth in economic empowerment from individual – centredness to collectivism;
 * Broadening access to education;
 * Broadening access to land for residential and productive purposes;

We call for a Youth Ministry that will ensure that all of these take place. We further call for youth involvement and participation in developing a youth development programme. We call for broad access to the National Youth Commission and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund to enhance youth development. We further call for specific programmes to attend to problems and bottlenecks detrimental to the development of young women;

The notion that programmes such as Take a Girl Child to work; 100 Best schools and financial ability for access to basic needs are fostering a culture of elitism, and do not address economic and social imbalances that are as a result of Apartheid imbalances. The notion of elitism entrenches what the NLM sought to defeat when fighting against Apartheid. We cannot afford pockets of elitism, development and opulence in the heart of poverty and underdevelopment.


 * 6. Way foward from Soweto – Intensifying the Defiance Campaign!**

The critical challenge for the youth of today is to fight for a better, dignified and respectable society. There is no other kind of society better to meet these demands than socialism. In that light, in the immediate, our way forward as the YCL from SOWETO includes meeting the following demands by 2015:
 * Nationalisation of all land used for commercial purposes;
 * Nationalisation of mineral wealth for the welfare of all people;
 * The creation of a State Bank to finance co-operatives, Small medium Enterprises and other developmental needs for youth;
 * Basic services to all;
 * Extension of child support grants to 18 years;
 * Extension of school feeding schemes from pre-school to high schools;
 * Free Education for all starting from pre-school to tertiary level and further education and training;
 * Job creation for the youth
 * The establishment, support and procurement towards one youth co-operative in each municipal ward by the end of the current 5 year local government term (One Ward – One Youth Co-operative)

These can only be done through the intensification of the YCL’s Defiance Campaign. We can also do more through strengthening organizations of the Progressive Youth Alliance, including the ANCYL, SASCO, COSAS, YCS, SUSA and SASPU.


 * Socialism in our Lifetime!**
 * From anti – Apartheid to anti – Capitalism!**

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