We hope that this marks the end of a period of sensationalist, bully politics that gave attention to one individual at the expense of real and substantive issues facing the youth.

The DA Youth will, as before, continue to constructively and proactively deal with the problems that young South Africans face.

Media enquiries:

Makashule Gana

DA Youth Leader

082 773 4755

Aimee Franklin

DA Youth Director

072 232 0127

With this in mind, the DA Youth has set out below five of the most pressing youth-related issues that we feel the President should address. We believe that if each of our proposed interventions is adopted during 2012, it will contribute significantly to increased opportunities for young people and will see a marked improvement in the quality of life in South Africa.

Over the next year the DA Youth will continue to lobby government on the following issues and will monitor and hold them to account for their progress:

1.  Implement a Youth Wage Subsidy

With 72% of the unemployed population of 4.5 million people younger than 34, youth unemployment has reached crisis point. The DA Youth has repeatedly lobbied for the introduction of a youth wage subsidy, which would lower the effective cost of employment and create hundreds of thousands of jobs without an adjustment of wages or conditions of employment, all whilst acting as an incentive for on-the-job training.

The Finance Minister announced in 2011 that the Treasury would move forward with the implementation of a youth wage subsidy. However, this has now been delayed by NEDLAC where we suspect Cosatu and other organisations are pressuring government to abandon it. The President must show decisive leadership on this matter and confirm that a youth wage subsidy will be implemented in 2012.

2.  Reform the National Student Financial Aid Scheme

The DA Youth believes that the doors of higher learning need to be open to all South Africans that have the talent and commitment to qualify for admission to university, regardless of their circumstances, and that no individual deserving and capable of attending a tertiary institution should be unable to on the basis of finance. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), designed to enable this process, is currently fraught with red tape and is not reaching nearly as many needy students as it either could or should. Since the scheme’s inception, only 19% of NSFAS beneficiaries have successfully graduated from university.

In 2011, the DA Youth handed a discussion document to the Minister of Higher Education setting out a number of proposals for reforms to NSFAS that would make it function more effectively, including the proposal that  students should have the option to repay loans through service to the state year on year in a student’s field of study, that socio-economic status rather than race should be used as a proxy for support and that loans should be converted to bursaries on a sliding scale directly linked to academic performance in order to encourage academic excellence.

We urge the President to announce the implementation of these and other reforms to NSFAS that will enable young South Africans to truly achieve academic freedom.

3.  De-politicise the National Youth Development Agency

Since its inception, the National Youth Development Agency has been fraught with scandal. The DA Youth has advocated since 2010 that one of the main reasons for this has been the extreme politicisation of the national and provincial NYDA boards. Some of the actions of these almost exclusively ANC Youth  League (ANC YL)  dominated boards include R187.5 million, or a staggering 48% of the NYDA’s annual youth development budget, being spent on inflated salaries for its 363-strong staff; the spending of R106 million of state funds, meant to help young South Africans, on the ANC YL-hosted World Festival of Youth and Students; most recently, the endorsement by the NYDA of the ANC YL’s economic freedom marches in October 2011 – an unprecedented demonstration of political bias by a state entity.

President Zuma needs to announce the depoliticisation of the NYDA’s national and provincial boards so that their huge youth development budget can start benefitting those who need it the most and not the pockets of ANC YL cronies.

4.  Scrap the VAT on books

The DA Youth has been campaigning since 2010 for the VAT on books to be zero-rated as we believe that a tax on books is a tax on learning, knowledge and literacy. We need to prioritise measures to promote literacy and education, and we believe that a zero-rating on books would be a cost-effective measure to contribute towards this.

Education and the promotion of literacy are powerful weapons in the fight to eradicate poverty. Information is not only a basic requirement for democracy to flourish through the exchange of ideas; it also opens the door to economic participation.

We strongly encourage the President to announce that in 2012, VAT will be scrapped on books.

5.  Declare teaching an essential service

The call for teaching to be declared an essential service was first made by the DA in 2010, when we submitted an application to the Essential Services Committee supported by a national petition conducted by the DA Youth.

South African children receive one of the worst standards of education in the world; a fact confirmed by a variety of studies. There are many reasons for this, but it is certain that nothing can be done to improve the situation without first having all teachers in their classrooms for all the hours that their contracts require them to be there.
We urge the President to support the DA’s application to the Essential Services Committee in the interests of securing a positive and stable learning environment in our schools.

Media Enquiries:

Mbali Ntuli
DA Youth Chairperson
072 118 8556

Aimee Franklin
DA Youth Director
072 232 0127

The Twitter Town-hall will serve as an opportunity for the Party leadership to listen to the views of South Africans ahead of the State of the Nation Address.

Date: Sunday, 05 February 2012
Time: 19h00 to 20h00
Hashtag: #Our2012

Media Enquiries:

Pierre-Charl du Preez
Spokesperson for the DA Leader
084 251 0633

This letter serves the purpose of establishing some clarity about the DA Youth’s new DASO registration poster and the thinking behind it. This poster has, as you have all no doubt seen, caused a significant stir – for the first time ever the DA Youth is dominating the headlines and setting the change agenda in South Africa.

With all the comments, good and bad, we have achieved our goal of engaging South Africans in a frank debate about one of the most defining issues in our country today – tolerance. Our leader, Gana, has sent out a newsletter this morning going into a bit more detail about the poster itself. I want to take you a bit further back…

Established at the Federal Congress of 2010, the DA Youth has for the past two years been an organization that has both had to establish functioning party structures as well as champion issues and campaigns that are relevant and solution orientated for the young people of South Africa. You are all very aware the DA Youth has run numerous campaigns in the last two years that have very effectively highlighted issues about education, NSFAS, youth unemployment, POIB and entrepreneurship to name a few. Our ‘fixing the future’ document has also acted as a wonderful road map of tangible open and opportunity solutions to the youth crisis gripping our nation.

Whilst excellent in nature and in what they proposed, none of these campaigns fully highlighted or focused on our vision for South Africa, nor did they receive the attention they deserved in the public discourse despite the serious nature of the issues they addressed.  Our youth as well as our federal party kept being accused of not tackling the one issue that people felt our party was too afraid to address, race.

It is my belief that as the youth of the Democratic Alliance we have a role far larger than that of simply rolling out campaigns or attending protests and the like. I believe that as youth leaders we have a mandate to find the courage to speak about things that really matter to all young people, whether in the DA or not. Race, whether we like it or not, still matters. I do not believe for an instant that there is a member of the DA Youth who is not in some way tired of fact that everything that happens in this country, whether it is about our party or the greater political climate, always resorts back to race. Do not misunderstand me, some issues really do have a racial element in our country and need to be explored as such, but many do not and are constantly used to further cement already firmly drawn racial lines.

The choice for us as the youth leaders of the DA becomes simple. Do we continue to try and work in an environment which reduces our every effort to race and refuses to accept our nonracial message? Or do we, because we are unafraid and know full well that we espouse a future of one nation and one future, decide to be the first youth organization to lead the conversation on our terms?

People may have different interpretations of what a leader is but we cannot deny that true leaders have the ability, no matter how inconvenient or uncomfortable a subject may be, to be courageous enough to discuss it if it is something they feel affects the very people they lead.  We have a responsibility to not only our youth voters but to all our peers. If we have a vision of a South Africa where people will ultimately be in an open, opportunity society for all we need to lead and make that vision a reality. We need to inspire young people and show them exactly what we mean by these ethos – a South Africa that wouldn’t tolerate intolerance – as is the main point of this poster.

If there is anything that this poster has brought to the attention of us all it is that we need to decide as young people; do we want our generation to continue to be unable to shake race as our defining narrative? I think that this is one of those questions which our generation was going to have to answer one way or another eventually.

No matter how uncomfortable this conversation may be for some we must fight to have it as young South Africans, we fight because we appreciate that young South Africans before us had no voice and we fight because we represent so many young South Africans that STILL have no voice.

This poster was intended to start that conversation. The conversation is about race, but more than that this poster speaks to the principle of tolerance. This image could be replaced, as you may have all already seen from the parodies, by numerous others that all speak to the same principle. I have seen two young men or women, I have seen one of a Muslim and a Jewish person embracing, one of a Tamil and Hindi person and numerous others. The point is that we live in a country full of people that have forgotten how to tolerate people that seemingly don’t see the world as they do. On the other spectrum, and this is evident from the parodies and people’s responses, we are living in a country full of people that already do tolerate others views. This is the voice we should be encouraging to speak, that we should be giving a platform, that we should be reassuring that it is ok to not want to confine yourself to a socially constructed box, that it is ok because there are many of us who don’t fit neatly in those boxes either, many of us right here in the DA. That is who we need to be getting to believe in OUR vision for SA.

Part of addressing the issue of intolerance is about bringing people’s prejudices to the fore. This is done not with the intention of being belligerent and attacking people but about maturely acknowledging that people have them and getting them to talk about it. We need to ask them why exactly it causes them so much discomfort? We must facilitate, and more importantly, lead this discussion.

People forget that this poster was intended for distribution on tertiary campuses.  That it has created such a reaction among greater society perhaps speaks to the fact that this is still such a burning issue for all South Africans.  The intention was to capture our target demographic with a daring and challenging poster and motivate them to go to our DASO stands were they would find out more about what we stand for and who we are.  Our DASO leaflets containing the same image have on their reverse side everything that DASO has and continues to do for students.

It would be nice if all of the people causing an uproar about this poster felt as strongly about the fact that there are millions of unemployed young people or the struggle by students to access financial aid. Ironically the same morning the poster went out we released a statement on the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), a gravy train for ANC YL members that literally spends billions of rands meant to help young people on things like flying young Cuban totalitarians around the world. Last I checked there were fewer than 30 comments on this statement.

Let us not fall into the trap of forgetting what we were trying to do here and listening to people who saw something which may have ruffled their sensibilities a bit. As liberal democrats we must allow for everybody to have their say and have an opinion. We must also allow people the opportunity to state and argue as convincingly as they can their argument. They can have their lines and we must have ours and that is simply that. We will not feel ashamed or socially bullied by some people’s disapproval of a campaign that promotes what we believe in, which is tolerance. People may argue what they want, and we will defend that right just as we defend the rights of those who do not have to accept those arguments as valid or true. We will not defend people who try to make other people conform to their views by coercion. We will not defend people who try to force others to comply with their preferences when those preferences show intolerance, unkindness, lack of imagination, failure of sympathy, absence of understanding, ignorance of alternative interests and needs in the human experience and arrogance in believing theirs is the only acceptable way. We will not defend those who try to claim a monopoly on moral judgment and who try to decide on other’s behalf what is good for them.

Our party has withstood the misinterpretations of many campaigns and posters. Fight back, Stop Zuma and recently the supposed sexist poster of our election campaign. I dare say we have many more to still come. Never did WE in the party, despite such misinterpretations by people who see through their own prism of experience, waiver from believing that we were doing what we felt would ultimately be bringing about the South Africa we would all be proud to live in. This may be the first time for the DA Youth but I assure you that all the young people in this party have withstood far worse criticisms for being in the DA than being called supposedly ‘immoral’ or ‘nudists’.

Thank you for all the wonderful feedback and support that you have given the campaign thus far.

I remain as always a phone call away.

Best Regards,

Mbali Ntuli

DA Youth Federal Chairperson

Following the University of Pretoria’s refusal to release Student Representative Council (SRC) election results in 2011, the TSC was convened. Mthokozisi Nkosi’s commitment to students has clearly been acknowledged; Nkosi championed fairer access to financial aid during his tenure as an SRC member. He spearheaded the creation of an Aid Fund to fight the financial exclusion of indigent students, and raised over R14 000 to ensure students have equal access to textbooks.

These progressive measures highlight DASO’s commitment to ensuring students at tertiary institutions have access to equal opportunities. Mthokozisi Nkosi’s election to the TSC is an indication that other student societies have confidence in his leadership capabilities and experience as an activist for student rights.

DASO entered the 2011 SRC elections with a central promise to end divisive racial politics as Tukkies, and it will be through the leadership of people like Nkosi that the DA Youth can continue promoting diversity and delivery for all students.

Many South Africans are still undeniably fixated on race. As the DA Youth leader I see it every day among young people – an undercurrent of identity politics not always spoken about but always present.

This undercurrent was blown wide open this week by a poster we released online as a part of our recruitment drive for the DA Students Organisation (DASO). The image of an inter-race couple staring lovingly into one another’s eyes with the tagline, ‘In our future you wouldn’t look twice’, was unapologetically intended to provoke debate, and provoke it it did.

Comments ranged from one end of the spectrum to the other – either people hated it, one Facebook user calling inter-race relationships an ‘abomination’, others loving the fresh and controversial angle. Ironically, the vast number of comments, both good and bad, have vindicated the premise of the campaign and expose the glaring necessity of the discussion it has provoked. It is clear that, whether we as a society like to admit it or not, the tolerance debate is not over in South Africa.

We have chosen to enter this debate with a poster that sends out a loud and clear message about the kind of organisation we as the DA Youth are and the vision we have for South Africa, namely one in which a campaign of this nature would go unnoticed. Some people may disagree with our approach, but no-one can deny that it has achieved its goal, which was to rip the plaster off the festering issue of tolerance in South Africa and give it air to dry. If it makes people feel uncomfortable we are all the better for it – as a youth organisation we have a responsibility to push boundaries and challenge the status quo. We are prepared to set the change agenda and will not apologise for it.

Ironically, those who are the most upset by the image are probably those who need to do the most introspection into the real reasons behind why they are uncomfortable about what is, relatively speaking, a  very tame image for 2012. Claims that we are promoting promiscuity or racism say more about the individuals leveling them than anything else, as more explicit images can probably be found on the cover of magazines in the local supermarket or on prime time TV.

As stated by liberal philosopher John Stuart Mill, “No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought.” Ultimately our role is to lead the youth of South Africa towards these great improvements, and with this campaign we have successfully and proudly started on that road. We will not succumb to the criticisms of today in our efforts to build the future we envisage.

It is most ironic that in one of the agency’s first public forays into constructively addressing the challenges facing young people that they see fit to cut and paste from Democratic Alliance (DA) policy.

We hope that this proposal is the beginning of reason prevailing within the politically fraught NYDA, and that they will continue to look to DA policy for potential solutions to the problems facing young people.

The call for teaching to be declared an essential service was first made by the DA in 2010, when we submitted an application to the Essential Services Committee supported by a national petition conducted by the DA Youth.

South African children receive one of the worst standards of education in the world; a fact confirmed by a variety of studies. There are many reasons for this, but it is certain that nothing can be done to improve the situation without first having all teachers in their classrooms for all the hours that their contracts require them to be there.

According to a study by Tokiso, an independent dispute resolution company, Sadtu, the single largest trade union representing teachers, was responsible for 42% of all workdays lost between 1995 and 2009.

The consequences of attempting to obtain an education in this environment do indeed, we believe, create enormous inconvenience to the lives of learners, whose interests should be paramount, as well as to their parents, and the teachers, principals and other role-players who are genuinely trying to learn create a positive learning environment.

Media enquiries:

Makashule Gana

DA Youth Leader

082 773 4755

Aimee Franklin

DA Youth Director

072 232 0127

We will engage with the plans set out in the Green Paper and make a submission in due course. We encourage all education and training providers to do the same, and make their contribution to the future of our country’s academic and skills development.

The DA applauds many of the sentiments and goals of the Green Paper, some of which we have been calling for. These include:

• A plan to raise university enrolments from the current 900,000 students (a 16% participation rate) to 1,500,000 students by 2030 (a 23% participation rate).
• Significant planned expansion of the Further Education and Training (FET) college sector and the adult education sector, which will dramatically increase the number of places available for students. This is a welcome approach, as there is at present too little capacity in our higher education and training system, especially at the FET college level.
• Improving the quality of public FET colleges and increasing funding for research and innovation, so as to make South Africa more competitive in knowledge industries.  The future of our economy will rest more and more on these highly skilled sectors.

Effective implementation is key to the success of these proposals. Proper systems of accountability must be established to help make these goals a reality. In addition, the Minister must provide comprehensive details on how these plans will be funded.

The DA believes that South Africa needs an expanded and higher-quality post-school education and training system.  This is essential if we are to achieve a higher rate of economic growth to stimulate job creation and lift people out of poverty. We welcome the fact that the Green Paper makes a range of proposals that can help to make this vision a reality.

Media Enquiries:

Andricus van der Westhuizen MP
Shadow Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training
082 372 3163

Piera Abbott
Senior Media Officer
076 130 5779

It is a wake-up call.

Every year there is a last-minute rush for a small number of remaining university places. The demand far outstrips supply.

This is partly because many matriculants remain unaware of the full menu of tertiary options at their disposal. In particular, many still do not see Further Education and Training (FET) colleges as viable options for their future.

We believe this is because of inadequate guidance given to our Grade 12 learners. It should be a matter of course that all matriculants should receive guidance to help them ascertain what options are viable based on their particular aptitude.

We are therefore today writing to the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, to ask what guarantees are being put in place to ensure that career guidance, which is currently only a small part of the Life Orientation curriculum, is intensified and implemented correctly in schools.

This process is vital for ensuring that students are directed into careers for which they have an aptitude and in which they can ultimately become productive citizens. With a graduation rate of approximately 15%, South African universities have one of the lowest throughput rates in the world, leaving 85% of university entrants with no viable qualification and most with huge study fee debts. Despite this, students are pushed into university regardless of aptitude as, due to a lack of information at school, many see it as their only option.

In order to contribute to a higher rate of skilled people actually graduating and entering the job market, the DA Youth feels that there should be a greater emphasis on career guidance at schools, and that increased attention should be given to FET colleges and self-employment as options for young people after matric. There is currently a huge scarcity of skills in fields such as engineering and artisanal work, and study at an FET college could equip young people to exploit these market demands.

We will urge the Minister to ensure that measures are put in place to guarantee that matriculants are equipped with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their future, and are not simply pushed into universities and set up for failure.

Media Enquiries:

Makashule Gana
DA Youth Leader
082 773 4755

Aimee Franklin
DA Youth Director
072 232 0127

WHEN: Competition closes 29 February 2011.

HOW: Download the entry form here in WORD or PDF.

Submit the completed entry to:

Email:  myfuturestartshere@da.org.za  Fax: 086 606 5257

Post: My Future Starts Here, Democratic Alliance, P.O Box 1475, Cape Town 8000

By hand: DA Western Cape Office, 7^th Floor, 42 Burg Street, Cape Town.

Only business plans on the official entry form will be considered.

For a useful guide to starting a business click HERE.

To read about the DA Youth’s proposals to government on how they can encourage youth entrepreneurship in South Africa click HERE.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Terms and conditions

The closing date for entries is 29 February 2012.

Entry is open to residents of South Africa between the ages of 18 and 30 years old only.

Employees and Public Representatives of the Democratic Alliance and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter the competition.

There will be one cash prize of R10 000 given to the creator of the selected business plan.

The winner will be required to submit reports as and when reasonably requested by the DA Youth within a one-year time frame from receiving the prize detailing how the funds were used and the progress of the business.

The Democratic Alliance Youth reserves the right to amend the competition end date at any time.

The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

The winner will be notified by telephone. Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted.

If and when necessary, the winner must make themselves available for photographs and other public relations related appearances. All rights reserved.

Only entries completed on the official competition template and using the specified number of words will be considered.

Enquiries can be directed to Aimee Franklin on aimeef@da.org.za.