Note to Editors: The following is an extract from the Youth Day Debate speech delivered by Freddy Sonakile, DA Caucus Leader in the North West Provincial Legislature.
- Youth unemployment remains one of the biggest challenges facing the North West and South Africa, with millions of young people unable to find work or access economic opportunities.
- High unemployment leaves young people trapped in poverty, dependent on government promises, and unable to build secure futures for themselves and their families.
- The DA will fight for policies that create jobs, attract investment, support entrepreneurs, grow the economy, and ensure merit replaces cadre deployment so that young people can access real opportunities.
Today, as we commemorate the courage and sacrifice of the youth of 1976, we must ask ourselves an uncomfortable question:
If the youth of Soweto returned today and walked through the streets of Mahikeng, Jouberton, Ikageng, Taung, Ganyesa and Rustenburg, would they recognise the freedom we celebrate?
Or would they ask why, fifty years later, so many young people remain trapped outside the economy they were promised would belong to them?
The youth of 1976 fought against political oppression. The youth of 2026 must fight against economic exclusion. Their struggle was for political freedom. Ours must be for economic freedom. But not the economic freedom of slogans. Not the economic freedom of politicians dressed in designer labels while masquerading as socialists. Not the economic freedom of Gucci revolutionaries and champagne communists who speak endlessly about poverty while living lives far removed from the poor. The economic freedom we seek is simple: jobs, opportunity, growth and dignity.
Today, youth unemployment in South Africa sits at approximately 46%. Nearly five million young South Africans are unemployed. In our own province, unemployment remains among the highest in the country. That is not merely a statistic. That is a generation waiting. Waiting to start their lives. Waiting to support their families. Waiting for opportunity. Waiting for government promises to become reality.
Perhaps the most honest unemployment statistic in South Africa is not found in a Statistics South Africa report. It is not found in a quarterly labour force survey. It is not found in a government dashboard. The most honest unemployment statistic is found at every government imbizo and community meeting.
Think about it. Government calls a meeting at ten o’clock on a Tuesday morning. The hall is packed. Government celebrates community participation. Government celebrates public engagement. Government celebrates the turnout. But we see something very different. We see a province crying out for jobs. Because in a growing economy, people are at work at ten o’clock on a Tuesday morning.
In a thriving economy, people are building businesses at ten o’clock on a Tuesday morning.
In a successful province, young people are too busy creating wealth to fill community halls during working hours. The packed halls that government celebrates should actually be an indictment of government. They should be a reminder that too many people have nowhere else they are required to be. They are not a sign of success. They are evidence of desperation.
Last year, the Democratic Alliance marched for jobs in the North West Province and handed over a memorandum containing practical proposals aimed at creating jobs, attracting investment, supporting entrepreneurs and ensuring merit takes precedence over cadre deployment. The memorandum was accepted. The urgency was not. The response was promised. The response never came. The crisis remained. The unemployment queues remained. The hopelessness remained.
The youth of 1976 faced bullets. The youth of 2026 face ballot papers.
Fifty years ago, young people changed the course of history without a vote. Today, young people can change the course of history
The greatest tragedy would not be that young people have no power. The greatest tragedy would be that they have power and choose not to use it.
The struggle of 1976 was to secure political freedom. The struggle of 2026 is to use political freedom to achieve economic freedom. The youth of 1976 handed us a weapon more powerful than any slogan, politician or political party. They handed us the vote. The question facing the youth of 2026 is simple: Will we use it? Because the struggle of 1976 was won through courage. The struggle of 2026 will be won through participation. They had bullets aimed at them. We have ballot papers placed before us.
Let us be as brave with our ballots.