MEDIA STATEMENT OF THE PROGRESSIVE YOUTH ALLIANCE (PYA) 20 OCTOBER 2013 The Progressive Youth Alliance, which comprises of ANCYL, COSAS, SASCO and the YCLSA held its Secretariat meeting on 14 and 17 October to discuss issues relating to the 2014 national general elections , the SRC elections which are underway in various campuses and the situation in the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). The PYA extends its condolences to the families of the two toddlers who were killed in Diepsloot, and also welcome the arrest of the suspects by the Police on Friday, hours after a PYA intervention team visited that area. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of the people’s miseries at the hands of criminals for cheap political gain. We will be monitoring the situation, working together with the police and the Minister of Police, and offering the family whatever assistance they may need.We are also concerned at the rise of rape in general, and of children and toddlers in particular. We have to fight against this scourge, and call on all communities to become self-defence units that work closely with police to expose rapists and ensure that they are brought to justice. Fighting rape must not be a racial issue, but must be an effort of the collective of our society. The PYA is concerned that there is low percentage of registration between the ages of 18 and 35 for the forthcoming General Elections. This is despite the hard work that all the PYA structures have invested in ensuring that young people get their ID’s, register and become eligible to vote in the forthcoming National General Elections. In this regard, we will be embarking on a 21 DAYS OF ACTION beginning on 21 October until the 10th November 2013 to get young people to apply for their ID’s, register through the various platforms created by the IEC and ensure that they are eligible to vote. At the centre of our programme will be to mobilise all our branches to go to schools, universities, workplaces, churches, car washes, street corners, tarvens, night clubs, sport meetings, and using social media. Although we will be spreading our net wide and deep in calling for young people to exercise their constitutional rights as citizens, we will also be spreading the message that they should vote for the ANC. As organizations that represent the core of the Progressive Youth Alliance we hold the legitimacy and appeal amongst young people not only to accept the shortcomings and hurdles that were met by the ANC government since Nelson Mandela, but to also commit the ANC government to address issues of inequality, poverty and unemployment. Only the ANC can do that. We are hoping that with the hundreds of thousands of our members combined, together with sympathisers and supporters of our organization, we can reach a target of more than 9 million young people and encourage them to register and vote next year.As the PYA, we have witnessed the overwhelming support displayed by students at universities during SRC elections. Not only have we maintained all the campuses where the SASCO-led PYA was governing, but we have also reclaimed campuses such as the Nelson Mandela Metro University (NMMU), University of Free State, University of Zululand, University of Cape Town and many others. As we speak now, the PYA is leading SRC’s in our non-traditional basis solely because we have encouraged our structures to co-operate. We are extremely disgusted at the partisan tactics of the management of the University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus) in relation to the disputes arising from the constituting of the SRC where both SASCO and the ANC Youth League have collectively emerged with a convincing majority. We have always suspected that the management, especially the Vice Chancellor of that campus, is a closet sympathizer and member of the so called Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and a puppet of its Commander in Thief, Julius Malema. His interventions give credence to the allegations, published sometime ago in the media, that he has been un-procedurally awarding tenders to the lieutenants of Malema, and we are therefore not shocked of his recent intervention. We will be engaged into a fully fledged campaign to ensure that he is removed as the Vice Chancellor. The PYA has also noted the recent developments in the NYDA in relation to the dismissal of its CEO, Cde. Steven Ngobeni. As the PYA, we have been briefed of the reasons that led to the decision to dismiss him and are aware that he is challenging the decision. We hope that the matter will be speedily resolved. As the PYA, we are opposed to corruption, maladministration, fruitless and wasteful expenditure especially of resources intended for youth development. We do not agree that the NYDA should close shop, and believe that any such decision will lead to chaos in relation to youth development, and that advocates of such are ignorant of the millions of youth who benefited from the NYDA, the National Youth Commission and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund (the predecessors of the NYDA). We also believe that this is a step in the right direction in ensuring that the NYDA reclaims its legitimacy in the eyes of young people and become centered in service for youth. We will be looking closely at the legislative changes that have been proposed in relation to the NYDA Act, so that we have improved accountability, efficiency and access of the services that the NYDA provides to young people. We will also be canvassing the NYDA to appoint the provincial boards as soon as possible on order to improve its work. Issued by the PYA Secretariat
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 20:26:19 +0000
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