The prosperous South Africa that we all long for remains a deferred dream so long as young people, and not big corporations, do not get involved in shaping its future.
Whether it’s through voting or holding the government accountable, young people must be at the centre of the change South Africa needs.
Big business’ involvement in deciding South Africa’s future trajectory has proved problematic on many levels.
Its lobbying for the establishment of the so-called Government of National Unity reveals why young people can no longer entrust politicians and their political parties to speedily tackle inequality levels – the highest in the world.
That almost half of young people (45%) in the country, the majority black and African, are unemployed is something we should never be comfortable with – condemning generations of young people to a bleak future. Big businesses have not fully lived up to expectations that they invest back into the communities they operate in.
Instead, small businesses – despite a lack of financial support from the government and the banks – have assumed the responsibility of carrying our rather stagnated economy on their backs. The dangers faced when the youth lack hope are there for all to see.
South Africa should not wait until the situation gets to the point where Kenya and Bangladesh find themselves. Young people in these countries have demonstrated the power they have when their elected leaders prioritise their own interests over those of who voted them into power.
President William Ruto of Kenya is running out of options despite firing almost all his cabinet over a finance bill that Kenyans believe would have been detrimental to their cost of living.
In Bangladesh, young people removed Prime Minister Sheik Hasina from office over a quota system for government jobs which favoured relatives of veterans of Bangladesh’s war of independence. Hundreds have paid with their lives for being part of these demonstrations.
South Africa can ill-afford a repeat of the July 2021 unrest. Action is required now – while our youth is still patient. However, this prospect remains conceivable as long as the political system continues to favour business interests while young people languish in poverty and despair.
Cape Times