Programme Director

Honourable MEC Blennies

Councilors present

Heads of Department

Officials from respective Departments present

Members of the Community

Ladies and gentlemen

       

Halala Halala Greenpoint Halala
Roar young lions roar!!!!

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

You know when I uttered the words- roar young lions roar- it brings about a certain feeling of pride, a feeling accomplishment and a feeling of self-worth. When we uttered these words then we could relate to them and we owned it. I don’t even know whether you know what it means and what it is supposed to instill in you.

Ons is vandag hier in Greenpoint om spesifiek met die jong mense van die area te praat en so ook met die groter mense wat verantwoordelik is vir die jong mense en hul pligte moet volstaan en leiding en leierskap te vertoon.

Op Vryday 16 June sal ons weer soos ons elke jaar jeugdag vier. Dis n dag om hulde te bring aan die veg gees en die dapper stryd wat jong mense gelei het teen n onregverdige en ongelyke onderwysstelsel.

MEC Blennies sal op hierdie dag die rede vir die dag verduidelik en waarom dit belangrik is dat die Regering dit nodig gesien het om jongmense te vereer en te waardeer.

But just to give you a snippet into why we feel this day is to be celebrated and for you to try and grasp the importance of the events that took place on that fateful day. On the morning of 16 June 1976, thousands of black students from Soweto in the then Transvaal, now Gauteng, went on a protest rally from their schools to Orlando Stadium.
While black students were already getting conscientised by student organisations and the Black Consciousness Movement when the Bantu Education Act (1953) was instituted, they mobilised for a protest against an official order that made Afrikaans - along side English only - as the medium of instruction compulsory in black township schools throughout the country. The use of African languages was prohibited in these schools and the Constitution supported Afrikaans and English to be made the official languages of the country.
The rally was a peaceful protest intended to urge the government not to make Afrikaans compulsory in schools.
But when armed police were called in to disperse the crowds with dogs, teargas and bullets, they opened fire on the students. The protest turned into an uprising by students against the apartheid government, but hundreds of students were killed by police. And so the 1976 student uprising, as it was called, was born.
The events of the day highlight a few individuals who took part in the protest. Among the first children killed was 15-year-old Hastings Ndlovu, and 12-year-old Hector Pieterson. We also remember Tsietsi Mashinini, who lead the students in protest.
N vyftien jarige en twaalfjarige kinders het op daardie dag hul lewens verloor met soveel ander. Laat dit ‘n oomblik insink. Twaalf en vyftien jaar wat opgestaan het en baklei het vir die reg om onderrig in hul moedertaal te ontvang. Dit is die young lions van wie ons praat waneer ons met passie se roar young lions roar!!!!!
So June 16 or youth day is a celebration of the spirit of young people and a day set aside to celebrate the achievements of your peers. It is definitely not a day to see how drunk and disorderly you can get.

Ons moet ook baie eerlik wees en veral in Greenpoint waar die sosiale probleme so erg is dat die hele regering moet ingryp. Ons word elke dag daarvan beskuldig dat die regering nie genoeg doen vir julle. Dat die regering korrup is. Dat die regering julle vergeet het. En ja ons stem saam dat ons meer behoort te doen. En ons is verbind daaraan om meer te doen. Dit is ten spyte van wat daar reeds in plek is.

Ons moet ook eerlik wees.- julle as jong mense wat net vinger kan wys. Julle moet ook kan eerlik wees met julleself en vra hoekom is julle waar julle is.

You need to do serious introspection and ask but why do your peers in other impoverished communities rise above their circumstances and become productive and exemplary members of society. Those that can truly rise when we shout roar young lions roar!!

It comes down to one simple thing. One act and one decision- and that is to rise above their adversity and to not become the status quo most of you came to find, accepted and continued.

As we drove in here this today, we were greeted by many young people gathering aimlessly and drinking, smoking and gambling on street corners, at tuchshops and shebeens. And you think this is normal? That this is who you are and should be and what should define you as young people and the supposed leaders of tomorrow?

You have abandoned the believe that you are more than just slaves to addiction and hopelessness. You have allowed drug dealers to take away the spirit and fight that the young people of 1076 displayed. You allowed yourselves to be victims of your circumstances- and more likely circumstances you yourself has created.

Ons het vandag gekom on nie net weer na julle klagtes te luister nie. Ons ken dit want oral waar ons gaan om ‘n verskil te wil maak kry ons weerstand en verskonings.

Die Regering spandeer miljoene rand net hier in Greenpoint elke maand op verskillende toelaes. Ons het die SRD of die R350 soos julle dit noem. One betaal ongeskikheids toelae of disability grants en van julle vat die word letterlik op- ongeskikheid- wat ook onbeskof en rou in Afrikaans beteken. Want as dai toelaag betaal is julle die rouste en ongeskikste.

Ons betaal ook kinder toelae by die honderde aan jongmense wat op skoolbanke en kolleges of universiteite moes sit en hul onvoeding eerste gestel het.

And what do you do with these grants? The children for whose benefit these grants are paid are severely neglected, the older persons grants are stolen and abused, the SRD grant is misused. As soon as the grant pays all morals goes and the only people who benefit are the drug dealers, loan sharks and shebeens.

This government has made Education free. With that we have made so much advances in the field of technology that it is so easy to become the best versions of yourselves instead of what you currently are. The youth of today have so much more opportunities than of the youth of then and sadly you still stand begging for that which you can earn.

Families are the basic unit of every community and society. Government implements programmes that provide support to families such as health care, education, housing, social grants, income generating activities such as public works programmes and many others. At the same time, families face several challenges such as the impact of poverty and unemployment, drugs and substance abuse, crime, domestic violence and violence against women and children. These are all issues you know of and some of you are guilty of.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first step to becoming a "Better World Family" is to decide to become one. It will be an ongoing learning experience with lots of mistakes. You'll need all of the tools you've learned as peace builders. You might decide to set a regular time to discuss and work out family problems and issues. You'll want to make sure that you show your concern and encouragement for each other, regularly. You'll need to let things go and apologize and accept apologies and make amends when apologies aren't enough. You're a team and you want to work it out. You may decide to work together on projects for a better world as a way to strengthen your dedication.
 Soos Deuteronomium 6:7 toon, is daar baie geleenthede wanneer julle as ouers geestelike sake met julle kinders kan bespreek. Of julle nou saam reis, saam takies verrig of saam ontspan, julle sal waarskynlik geleenthede vind om in julle kinders se geestelike behoeftes te voorsien. Julle hoef natuurlik nie gedurig vir julle kinders oor Bybelwaarhede te preek nie. Probeer liewer om gesinsgesprekke op ’n opbouende, geestelike vlak te hou. Sulke gesprekke sal kinders dalk beweeg om meer van die lektuur te lees wat “die getroue en verstandige slaaf”-klas voorsien.
Ek wil ook aan die jongmense herinder dat die Bybel sê eer jou vader en jou moeder sodat jou dae verleng mag word. Jongmense het mos vandag die ouers in die huis geword en beheer en misbruik die ouers se toelae. Dit is verkeerd.
Ons hoop is op julle- die leiers van more-  om vir ons en jul gemeenskappe ‘n beter toekoms te bring. Daarom gaan ons as die Departement van Maatskaplike dienste uit ons pad om U te voorsien van dienste wat tot voordeel van julle toekoms en ontwikkeling sal wees.
As julle hulp nodig het, praat met ons maatskaplike werkers. En ek wil julle aanmoedig om gefokus te bly op julle toekoms en die welstand van julle ouers, broers, susters en die hele gemeenskap.
In conclusion, boys and girls, if a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.

A home with a loving and loyal husband and wife is the supreme setting in which children can be reared in love and righteousness and in which the spiritual and physical needs of children can be met.

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.

Thank you.