Economic freedom for youth will not be easy

POLOKWANE – Economic freedom for the youth of South Africa cannot be provided instantly.

This was according to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Limpopo convener, Mike Mathebe, who spoke to CV last week during an interview on Youth Month and Youth Day celebrations this month.

“It is a process, but we are fighting for it. If it happens in our lifetime, it will be a bonus,” he said. Referring to Nelson Mandela and other freedom fighters, he said while they fought freedom even though they did not know when they would win, or if it would be in their lifetimes, they still continued to fight. “They never gave up the fight, and gaining economic freedom for the youth is the same. It is a revolution, a struggle,” he said vehemently.

“The biggest problem is young people not being interested in politics. So many people are not involved. We are trying to teach young people their responsibilities,” he said. Mathebe said the level of unemployment and poverty could not just be wished away. “It needs collective efforts to push government into coming to their senses. Government does not care whether the CEO of a firm gets R2,7 million a month but workers at the firm only get R4 500 or less per month. Government says nothing. We cannot have such a government, it needs to be changed,” Mathebe insisted.

Asked how he would define what economic freedom is, Mathebe said it would entail closing the gap between the rich and the poor. He said economic freedom would mean that no one would have to go to bed hungry, people would be treated equally no matter what, and wealth would be distributed equally.

“A hungry person is an angry person, and being hungry is painful,” he said, adding that the wealthy people in society should share with the poor. “Government is also stealing a lot of money,” he said.

Mathebe said celebrating Youth Day at stadiums by telling people their history and distributing T-shirts was unacceptable. “People don’t want to go to stadiums any more. We plan to workshop the youth and tell them how to survive amid their poverty, or in the situation they are in. We want to teach them survival skills,” he explained.

ANC Youth League provincial spokesperson, Onicca Moloi, said economic freedom for the youth lay in them participating in the country’s economy, and being employers in their own right thereby being empowered economically. “They must be able to respond to the challenges within the country by offering solutions,” she said.

“It is not about taking the land, or having land invasions, it is about skilled young people able to bridge the gap, grow the economy, and be role players in the economy.”

She said the ANC government had established programmes to uplift and empower the youth economically, and mentioned the Youth Employment Accord as an example. “This is a pact between government, youth organisations and the private sector. It is a tool to respond to many challenges and also has elements of the National Development Plan such as improving education, skills and training.”

She said the National Youth Development Agency’s focus had also shifted from funding to intensifying training. “Our country does not have enough skilled artisans,” she said.