Good Evening Gentle 2018 – the year of Nelson Mandela. This is the most important day in our history.
The pathfinder of our democracy the Rev John Langalibalele Dube, the former President of the ANC was born on the 11th February in 1871.
Mafukuzela went on to establish Ohlange School and the founding philosophy of the school was: “To teach the Head to Think, the Hands to Work and the Heart to Serve.”
Dube died on today on the 11th February in 1946
The President of the first democratic South Africa Nelson Mandela was released from prison today, the 11th February in 1990.
The two leaders fought so hard for the political freedom that we are enjoying today. On this historic day, young people across the corners of this country must pause and ponder what would be their contribution in taking forward the national democratic revolution.
I must hasten to point out that the young people of today should use their energy and vibrancy to sustain the national debate on the type of a South Africa we want to create.
At all times, discussions of young people must focus on the policy choices available in the manner the ANC as a ruling party manages the economy and how to ensure that the resources in the hands of the ANC-led government are beneficial to more people.
While the ANC has adopted various policies to create a prosperous South Africa, it is correct that the youth of today should examine how the ANC as a leader of society is implementing resolutions adopted at Nasrec.
In the spirit of John Dube and Nelson Mandela, young people must always familiarize themselves with all programmes that are designed to eradicate poverty and eliminate the legacy of apartheid, whereby those who are poor are mainly black, rural and peri-urban dwellers and largely uneducated and unskilled and unemployed.
As future leaders, young people must be seized with search for solutions of the future. We must ask ourselves what freedom means to people who live in poverty, the unemployed, those afflicted with preventable diseases, the homeless and those who live in shacks.
All young people who are serving in various structures of the ANC need to appreciate what all of us as young people have inherited and seriously ponder on what will be the contribution of today’s youth in taking forward the dream of Rev John Dube and Nelson Mandela.
These are the early generations of the Youth League members who went before us and left behind this legacy of youth involvement in finding solutions for their country.
Their high level of discipline, dedication and selfless service to humanity resulted in the freedom and democracy we are enjoying today. They paid the highest price humanly possible for this freedom.
Critically, the enemy of the revolution always attempt to rewrite history by seeking to create an impression that F.W De Klerk on his own accord, made a decision to release our beloved Tata Nelson Mandela.
We know that Tata Madiba was freed by the blood of young people of this country who made it impossible for the apartheid government to operate. Please view the clip.
It is the young people of this country who finally brought down the apartheid machinery on the 27th April 1994 with Nelson Mandela voting for the first time for a democratic government.
After casting the ballot he went to the grave Dr John Langalibalele Dube and took a military salute and declared: “Mr President I am here to report that now South Africa is free!”
For all South Africans, the story of their freedom is symbolized by this picture of the former ANCYL leader and Former Commander-in-Chief of the Military wing of the ANC called uMkhonto WeSizwe reporting to his departed leader of the Revolution, that his mission had at last been accomplished.
Dr John Dube never lived long to see the liberation of his fellow countrymen and women. He died on his birthday – the 11th of February.
Despite his untimely death, his spirit guided and inspired generations after generations of leaders for eighty-two years through the organization he co-founded to unite all the people of South Africa in general and African people in particular.
It is now our turn as young people to usher in Economic Freedom. This is the responsibility we dare not delegate to other people.
As stated previously, we are the generation born to defend the gains of our democracy whilst on the other hand you need to use our political power to liberate millions of our people from economic oppression.
We are the generation born to inherit and sustain the legacies of those young people who, throughout this country’s history have been in the forefront of the struggle against any form of subjugation and injustice.
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