ActionSA President, Herman Mashaba lead ActionSA’s Youth Day commemoration alongside Gauteng Provincial Chairperson, Funzi Ngobeni on Sunday, June 16 at Orlando.
The delegation was joined by ActionSA leaders and Activists who hosted a wreath laying ceremony at the Hector Peterson Memorial as part of the Youth Day commemoration.
Speaking at the Hector Peterson Museum, ActionSA President Mashaba said more than 40 years after the events of 16 June 1976, ActionSA believes the ANC-DA national coalition should expedite efforts to achieve the ideal of the 1976 generation by working towards a more prosperous and equal South Africa.
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“Paying my respect to those who lost their lives in the 1976 uprising in Soweto, I mention how it is simply unacceptable that 30 years into democracy many South Africans are still excluded from tertiary education or receive standard education.
These injustices are the very same justices that those in 1976 uprisings fought against.
“It is totally unacceptable that 30 years after the attainment of democracy that 80% of public schools are dysfunctional with learners unable to read for meaning and with educational outcomes rendering our youth unemployable,’’ he said.
Mashaba further stated that the new government should therefore directly address this injustice by expanding tertiary education including improving basic education outcomes and providing opportunities for all those leaving schools including investments in early childhood development centres.
“We need more opportunities for our youth to get technical training, it is imperative we not fail the youth of today as we have failed the youth of 1976.
“As a constructive opposition in both the National Assembly and Provincial Legislature, ActionSA will not hesitate to keep the ANC-DA coalition accountable where it fails to achieve social justice or provide opportunities for our people.’’
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He added that ActionSA will use its position in legislative platforms to push its own policies, including igniting job creation, implementing an opportunity fund to undo the legacy of apartheid and ensuring that no academically deserving student is excluded from tertiary education.
“It is possible to achieve a more prosperous and equal future in South Africa, but only if we take action today. It’s only through making the difficult decision to build a better tomorrow that we can fix our country. Because, only action will fix South Africa,’’ concluded Mashaba.
