ANC Today
*Revolutionary commitment and youth ambitions* *Ramaano Ramabulana, ANC Today, Johannesburg, 4 May 2012*The current discourse requires all youth to do deep and proper introspection with regard to our values. Are we an asset or liability to the revolution? Our former leaders surrendered their privileges to serve our people and to achieve our freedom. Comrades went to jail and were forced into exile forfeiting their privileges and leaving their loved ones in the care of their families.
Whenever the name of Chris Hani is mentioned youth think of an intellectual, a soldier and a leader of the caliber of Che Guevara. They achieved academically at the young age and went on to achieve immortality as revolutionaries. It must also be noted that not only education makes a great leader but the love of your people is the paramount prerequisite of being a great revolutionary.
The youth of 1976 fought hard for us to be taught in the language that offer us more access to information and choices. They saved as from the narrow Bantu education of the apartheid regime. Today we are moving towards a better education because of those sacrifices. Education remains the ANC's pillar of achievement freedom and reduction of unemployment, poverty and equality.
Post 1994 provides more opportunities for the youth in South Africa, access to education has improved and even youth from poor families can pursue their academic dreams. Criminals were role models during the dawn of democracy as they were seen to have more money and better life than an average black people. The ANC fought mentality that crimes pays and drove the message to youth to be educated and earn an honest living.
That battle is being won and youth have been given responsibility to transform their learning environment to be representative of the change envisage in the ANC adopted positions. The early 1990s leaders of Congress of South African Students (COSAS) and South African Student Congress (SASCO) led with honour and fought for the transformation of our education system.
They were aware that the ANC needed educated youth to fight poverty, inequality and unemployment. They also needed to be prepared academically and politically to take over the economy and properly lead the social transformation agenda. They knew their place in the struggle and paramount duty to advance the struggle for universally access to education for our people.
These leaders were aware that you need to perform academically to remain political relevant and carry out mandate, dropping out was not an option. It was painful but they had overcome the challenges of being student and activist, they are the true role models of our youth.
These structures produced great leaders like Malusi Gigaba, Thomas Mutshidza, Febe Potgieter, David Makhura, Nomfanelo Kota, Mike Nevari and others who took their academic responsibility serious and carry out their political mandate. They progressed in the academic world when it was difficult to do so. They knew about Chris Hani as not just a soldier but as intellectual and they made him proud.
The ANC Youth League remains the balancing force to these two structures of our youth movement to keep members of SASCO and COSAS. Their focus on the NDR is not just one dimensional but a broader strategic perspective of the ANC to achieve its mission of creating a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexiest and prosperous society.
Today we have almost universally access to education and there is no excuse not to have qualification or career if you really pursue your dreams. You do not need to be a genius like Anton Lembede, Nelson Mandela, OR Tambo or Chris Hani but you just need to take your academic life seriously to get access to tertiary education whose government funding has improved. Students are even getting allowances from NFSAS to make their academic life easier.
The question to the current members of the mass democratic movement led by the ANC is what privileges we are surrendering to be part of this great movement. Are we an asset to the ANC or we are liability? Do we see the ANC as an alternative from the personal failures to achieve our childhood dreams of creating independent success? The truth is that we are abusing the membership of the ANC to achieve personal ambitions through our positions of responsibility in the movement. More structures are disbanded in the Youth League today than when there was no material benefit, why?
There is also a problem that leaders within our structures use the youth to do their dirty work promising them better jobs and wealth. For instance there is one person whom through his rhetoric and militancy fooled many to believe he was a visionary and revolutionary leader but who has turned out and confessed he has been used as a toilet paper and a condom. He has proven he is not worthy to be followed as he is also following and handled somewhere.
The youth are more obsessed with short term than long term because they need security. They push personal agenda at all cost, and they will do anything that provides material benefits. They are obsessed with leadership than serving and activism. They will mortgage and commercialise their future to those that promise them luxury.
The question is how safe is the revolution in these people's hands, who have surrendered their souls to be members of ANC. They are unemployed, no education and learn all dirty tricks to ascend to power, name the price they will deliver you to your desire position but is always short-term. They are only loyal to the highest bidder and money.
If the ANC still has an internal security and majority of them would fail the membership test. They take one day as it comes, they have destroyed political activists for careers. The word political mentorship and development is no existence to them, they think they know ANC better than anyone within our structures and they are indeed at the wrong side of the history.
Personal development should be encouraged and advocated to all youth within the ANC. Education is the right and young ANC members need to drive this message to villages, township and Cities. We should show the world that we are ready to drive all pillars of social transformation and Lead the ANC to the next 100 years. We should help the current leadership to move towards the achievement for economic transformation.
As youth we must embark on continuous political education and development. We should love the ANC more than we love positions and money that will only be scarifies we should make. COSAS and SASCO must continue to produce good leaders like before and ANCYL must fulfill its twin task of being a politically preparatory school for the ANC and a champion of youth development.
We will get old one day and respect is two fold. If we respect each other, like what President Mandela said in 1997" different of opinion must be tolerated provide they do not brought ANC in disrepute" the senior leaders will provide mentorship to youth so that we become the worthy heirs to this beautiful and glorious 100 years old ANC of Dube, Makgatho, Mahabane, Gumede, Seme, Xuma, Moroka, Luthuli, Tambo, Mandela, Mbeki, and Zuma.
"The revolution lives on not in words to live for it, but in one's heart to die for it." Che Guevara
* Ramaano Ramabulana is a member of the ANC Youth League Ward 92 Branch in Greater Tshwane Region *From: http://www.anc.org.za/docs/anctoday/2012/at17.htm#art2* ** ** -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
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