My faith in the youth is restored, despite their idiot leader's rhetoric
Mondli Makhanya	Published:Jun 22, 2008
Related Content Eight years on and a missed chance lingers painfully in the memory Obama's willingness to initiate the change makes him the leader he is They say the small man in the large chair is really big in Japan An urgent task for us all: Healing the psyche of a damaged people We must now get to grips with the new, diverse South African family Article Tools   Print  E-Mail Save and Share On Monday, most South Africans spent their Youth Day holiday going about their daily chores, lazing about and reconnecting with friends and family. Under normal circumstances I would probably have been doing the same. Except that I found myself at an event that was to significantly alter my view of South Africa's youth. It was a seminar organised by the MJ Naidoo Foundation, the brainchild of businessman and former Cosatu leader Jayendra Naidoo. Named after Naidoo's late father, a famous liberation struggle stalwart, the foundation aims to foster social justice activism and spur debate on the nature of our democracy. On this occasion, high school children had been lined up to deliver "state of the nation" addresses on their observations, concerns and dreams. One by one, they stepped up to the podium and did their thing. And they blew the mainly adult audience away. They spoke about the anxiety of xenophobia, about non-delivery and governance, about being let down by the educational authorities, about an uncertain future in the country. They also spoke of their great love for this republic and their hope that its leaders could make them believe in it. Not only were they articulate, they were informed and strongly opinionated. It was a magnificent way of marking the day. In this era of pessimism, those teenagers gave me faith that the so-called youth apathy that we ancients fear was not so terrible after all. In some corners of the country, sound, intelligent leadership is budding and will hopefully get the attention and nurturing it deserves. There was another reason I found the day uplifting. A few days previously I had been in conversation with the mother of a soccer-mad youngster who is serious about pursuing a soccer career. She had decried the lack of interest that this country's soccer authorities show in young people. Her son, a rising star in junior leagues, had recently returned from a tour of England, vowing to play for that country rather than the land of his birth. "Mom, I do not want to play for South Africa. I received more attention in my nine days in England than I have ever received in this country," he told her upon his return. These words hurt her badly. Many in the boy's soccer team are apparently turning to other (previously privileged) sporting codes where there is a level of care and professionalism. This story echoed those of thousands of other youngsters around the country who receive no support for their ambitions — whether sporting, artistic or academic. That is because nobody speaks up for them. The country's youth leaders prefer to cavort with dodgy characters rather than take up youth matters. In the eyes of those teenagers on Monday I saw the next generation of leaders. In their voices I heard wisdom. That occasion was to serve as a great antidote that evening when I saw Julius Malema on television talking rubbish and threatening to kill people. Not only was it a criminally disgusting speech, but it also reflected just how out of touch South Africa's youth leadership is with the needs of its constituency. I have no clue who (judges, prosecutors, policemen or investigators) Malema intends to kill in defence of his highly corruptible hero, but the way he emphasised the word "kill" in that speech was spine-chilling. Perhaps that was the intention. All I know about Malema is that he is given to drivel and dangerous rhetoric — often followed up with action. I could never describe this more fully and eloquently than Fred Khumalo has done on his page this week. But what I can do is quote something Malema wrote on the ANC website last week: "Our march to a truly emancipated society where its youth are at the centre of its growth and development require of us all to make a concerted effort in building a society that is truly responsive to the needs of the youth alongside those of the poorest of the poor. In advancing the tasks of the current phase of the national democratic revolution, we must be mindful of the challenges that still loom large, and we must draw resolve and political will to bring to reality that which the 1976 generation fought for." And then he continued: "As we pledge allegiance to our democracy and put in place the critical building blocks towards the nation-state envisaged in the Freedom Charter, we must jealously defend the gains of our revolution and remain vigilant in the face of intense antagonism. It must never elude us that forces of counter-revolution remain active and are waiting in the wings for an opportune moment to pounce. It is our task to obliterate these forces and ensure that our democracy is not under threat from any quarter." Now this is the gunge — if you managed to wade through it — that lives in the head of the leader of the country's most influential youth formation. This is a moment when the country needs a new form of activism, the sort of activism that will grow us instead of rallying us to civil war. That is why initiatives such as the Monday event are inspiring. No one is expecting leaders of old to dump their lives and become politicians. But they can chip away in their little corner and do their bit to deepen our democracy and strengthen our future.

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