Civic movement Soil of Africa launched its “Sizosebenza Ngenkani” (We will get employed by force) campaign in Mabopane, Tshwane on Monday June 16.
More than 100 youths attended the launch of the campaign.
Soil of Africa member gave her own testimony to youth about her life of drugs in the street.
Amongst the guests were Mk Veteran Freddy lekgoka (84) from Mamelodi east explains the history of 16 June 1976 to the youth of Mabopane including members of Soil of Africa.
They were entertained by EJ Soft Life dance from Mamelodi, Baopedi BA Morena choir from Mabopane and Ditsalano Cultural group from Hammanskraal.
According to Soil of Africa Chairperson Bongani Ramontja, the Sizosebenza Ngenkani campaign aims at tackling the high unemployment rate among the youths which has sky-rocketed to 62,7%.
“We have big companies that come from outside our country who occupy our land and use our resources without giving back to the community,” said Ramontja.
“There’s lots of factories which don’t open skills development centres, they don’t give skills to the youths, they don’t give anything back to the community but they instead take money out of this country’s economy and send it to their home countries,” he said.
“We are going to shut down those factories until they hire local youths by force, that is why this campaign is called Sizosebenza Ngenkani,” he explained.
He said from Mabopane the campaign will then move to Hammanskraal and then to Kwa Mhlanga on 28 June and the aim is to ultimately activate this campaign at all provinces, regions and sub-regions until all unemployed youths join the campaign in numbers.
“We are using the month of June to activate this campaign as June is the month of the youth and the campaign will be an ongoing phenomenon which may take one or two or even three years up until we see the number of unemployed youths being reduced to at least 30%, meaning that we shall have at least reduced the number of unemployed youths by half,” he explained.
“It is very sad to look at other African countries and see how they are growing economically and producing champions in activities like sports while we South Africans have become number 1 in terms of unemployment,” lamented Ramontja.
“When one looks at previously disadvantaged countries like Burkina Faso one can see that their economies are improving and growing while our youths in South Africa are mostly unemployed and don’t have the means of production in their hands and therefore have nothing to show for the liberation that was attained in 1994,” he said.
Ramontja said South African youths must change their mindsets and realise that the find for fun and taking things for granted is over; that they must now fight for the realisation of the innovative ideas that they have; that they must fight to own the means of production and come up with their own plans and be creative; and that they must stand up and fight for what rightfully belongs to them.
“This is our land, this is our country, and these are our minerals,” he said.
Ramontja said as Soil of Africa they are not celebrating June 16 but are instead using the day to reflect upon the struggles of mothers and fathers who were killed during the days of apartheid while fighting against the injustices that were meted out to them by the then racist South African government.
“I’m so happy to be here and I learn a lot about the history of 16 June 1976”, said James Mokwena (25).
Another youth Catherine Setshaba (30) said she believes in Soil of Africa and she believes it will help the youth of South Africa to get employment and end poverty.