Thank you, President.
It’s true that the IFP Youth Brigade is driving a massive campaign to empower our country’s youth. For more than four decades the IFP Youth Brigade has been at the forefront of activism for democracy, freedom and justice. We have been working on behalf of young South Africans, because the IFP works for you.
So how do you secure change for the better in 2024?
The simple answer is: “You vote”.
South Africa’s youth are alive with creativity and ideas. We have solutions. We have energy. We have the drive to do what is needed. I don’t know a single young person who doesn’t have a side-hustle, making ends meet in creative ways. We know how to get things done.
And that’s great for South Africa. But there is one thing we need to do, that a lot of young people just aren’t doing. We need to vote. The numbers don’t lie. Right now the future of South Africa is being decided by people in their thirties, forties and fifties. They are the ones who vote. They are the ones who choose our leaders.
The problem is, they’re not focussed on the issues that we, the youth, face every day. Why are we waiting? Why are we not jumping at the chance to influence the governance of our country? Why are we delaying our contribution to the conversation, allowing it to move away from the matters affecting us?
When I ask these questions, the response is despair and frustration. But never apathy. We are far from apathetic about our future. We want to be heard. We want to create change. But many of us are convinced that nothing can really be changed, because the same people will do the same things in government even if we vote.
But guess what? Change is possible! This time around, our votes can totally disrupt the same-old same-old of corruption and crisis.
So I urge you to register to vote. Make it a priority. Because if we miss this chance, we will have to wait and watch and accept whatever is decided for us. And that’s not good enough – Let’s get in the game!
