Something big is happening here

The Sawip experience is of course a unique experience. The patriotism is refreshing, and it is incredible to see such a diverse group of young people, across race, class and gender, united by a single desire. The building of Africa, and the realisation of the aspiration that South Africa should indeed belong to all who call it home, and all who live in it, free to enjoy the freedoms of association and movement yes but also the right to realistically be able to have access to the resources and support, necessary to realise their aspiration of a better life.

We as the young people, and through all the discussions, certainly see the challenges. We recognise the limited political space to be able to freely engage in the process of policy development and implementation. We recognise the fundamental impact of colonial rule and apartheid in shaping South African and African society today. We recognise the challenges of corruption, violent crime and disease. We recognise the challenges of depleting mineral reserves, increased pollution and destruction of the environment, and the significant emigration of educated labour. We recognise the challenges of social integration, and class divides between people who are and should be brothers and sisters. We recognize the challenges of xenophobia, the issue of land distribution, the lack of credible role models in our societies and the failures to adequately address the challenges of the education system and the lack of political will to reduce the 25% unemployment of the majority of our people who are our mothers, brothers, sisters and fathers. We are certainly most concerned by the alarming situation within the youth, a group we are members of, who will be critical in achieving the aspirations we have all set for ourselves.

Yet, to the awe of many, we remain relentless in our fight for a better country and continent. We continue to speak about these issues as if we were the immediate decision makers. We remain positive that steadily and only steadily, we will continue to develop this society that many have given their lives to realise. We continue to internalise these issues as part of what we do on a daily basis. We have embraced the challenges we have inherited as our destiny. We have, like the many men and women in history, who gave up everything to fight their struggles, made a conscious decision, that our lives worth will be measured on, and only on, our contributions to the challenges that face our immediate nation and our continent.

This is what the Sawip experience has shown me thus far. A firm determination by ordinary young people, to shape the society we live in, and to ensure that our children in future live in a better society. So, you can be certain, as an ordinary citizen, that there are young people who will not rest until they have fulfilled their mission.