In South Africa, Youth Day offers nothing to celebrate, instead, it shines the spotlight on the many challenges and problems faced by young people. For the millions who have lost all hope for the future, it has become a day of mourning.
Year after year, all the ANC government has to offer to try and remedy the situation is rhetoric and meaningless gestures, like having a debate on Youth Day in Parliament.
Words without actions have failed the South African youth. They have nothing to be grateful for.
The cold hard facts paint the statistical picture of the dilemma in which the ANC has plunged our youth: Youth unemployment already stands at 66,5% and is still on the rise. It is projected to increase to 68% in 2023.
Unemployment is, however, not the only issue as violence is increasingly becoming a problem as well. The killing of children (aged between 0 and 17 years) and women have skyrocketed with 37,2% and 17,5%, respectively, within just one year.
The number of violent deaths of women and children are comparable to the death rate in the Ukraine. The only difference is that South Africa is not at war.
In gang-infested areas, like the Cape Flats, the fate of children is even worse.
In America, incidents involving school children being shot make the headlines – and rightfully so. But why are incidents in which children are killed in gang violence seemingly less newsworthy?
The constant exposure to violence and other social ills often causes the youth to resort to violence themselves.
The Department of Correctional Services stated earlier this week that the fact that there are currently more than 42 000 youth criminals in the country’s prisons is a serious cause for concern.
This shocking statistic reflects the reality of the South African youth’s circumstances.
There is indeed no reason to celebrate Youth Day.
Instead, it has become a day to mourn and ponder what this day could have been and would have been if the ANC did not value the past more than the present.
South Africa’s youth deserve better than the ANC.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Tammy Breedt on FF Plus
