Johannesburg - The speaker of the Council in Johannesburg, Colleen Makhubele, says more interventions are needed in former coloured and black townships to rescue young people from drugs and gangsterism.
The Speaker’s office has been running a number of programmes during Youth Month to inspire young people to rise above the challenges they face in their communities. One of the programmes was launched in Diepsloot last week, with more expected to come by the end of June.
Makhubele said, "The office of the Speaker had a youth programme in Diepsloot on the 15th of June and invited students from Wits; UJ; young people recovering from drugs and substance abuse from Hope Restoration centres; we had young women who have been rescued from sexual violence, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation; we had street kids from New Nation Combined School.
“We had young people who were orphans—abandoned by their parents and raised at the Impilo Orphanage in Diepsloot. It was important to have these young people interact, network, and create dialogue amongst themselves to find their own definition of their struggle and the solutions they want to see from the government. It was an enriching and totally life-transforming experience.”
Makhubele said other youth initiatives would include the youth jobs summit this week. South Africa has one of the highest youth unemployment rates. The City of Johannesburg has also mentioned job creation as one of the key objectives of the ANC-led Government of Local Unity.
"The Speaker is hosting a follow-on Youth Job Summit on the 23rd of June, and this time we are inviting not only young people from diverse walks of life and different experiences, but we are also inviting corporate South Africa, Transnet, Prasa, Anglo American, and many other companies that have the potential, capabilities, and opportunities to reach out and change the trajectory of our young people. We are inviting young people and corporations from around the city to join hands with us," Makhubele said.
Makhubele said she was worried about the number of young people loitering on the streets of mostly black and former coloured townships. She said drugs and gangsterism were consuming the youth in poor areas. She called for greater intervention from the government.
"We have bred a generation of young people that must now fight their own struggle for relevance, access to opportunities for expression, growth, and entrepreneurship. They must, like the youth of '76, start to consciously organise themselves to formulate and frame what their struggle means today, drawing energy from and connecting to the collective experience and wisdom of the young people of ‘76 who were willing to lay their lives for the expression of freedom and culture," Makhubele said.
The Star