Invest in the youth, Mr President

I would like to thank President Cyril Ramaphosa for all the effort he and and his team are making for the youth and SA as a whole in trying to eradicate poverty.

The pandemic has shown me and maybe the rest of the country that creating employment for youth is possible and feasible.

Who would have thought of educator assistants if it wasn’t for Covid-19? That was the most powerful and remarkable move I have seen since I was born.

Our youth have become stay-at-home graduates and because of that, education is losing its credibility. How can a stay-at-home graduate advise a younger person about the importance of education?

It’s embarrassing, sir. I am writing this letter to ask you and your team to press even more in investing in the youth. Unemployment has taken its toll on the SA youth and it is depressing. Young people are the future of SA, invest in the future of our country, sir, because one day a person who is the same age as me today will be in your seat years later.

People become greedy and corrupt because of how they had to suffer just to get ahead – greed and corruption derive from the turmoil and anger caused by suffering. While trying to get rid of corruption in government, remember those who will lead in the future. If we want to destroy a poisonous tree we have to start from the roots.

I know the government does not owe me and my fellow youth anything but, sir, please keep in mind what I said, especially if we really want to kill corruption and poverty.

Youth unemployment is the number one cause of crime. I am not trying to justify the actions of those involved in crime but sometimes an empty stomach can lead you to do things you never thought you would do. Sometimes situations push you until you lose your morals and forget about your values.

Prison cells are full of young people who were supposed to be leading this country but they are behind bars and many of them are guilty, but I guess they were trying to earn a living – but their path was wrong.

People can do anything to get out of poverty even if it means manipulating others – which is why we are always complaining about service delivery, poverty and unemployment. Promises were made but they were not delivered, unmet promises cause unrest among those who are expecting and it just takes one mistake to put the whole country into chaos.

Lastly, Mr President, we need permanent jobs and grants to fund our businesses. The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant has helped some but it is small and somehow promotes laziness. Money shouldn’t be just given out, it must be earned.

I don’t think giving money like that is a great investment, it is instead damaging our capabilities. Human beings adapt easily and I don’t think the government will always have money to give away to healthy people who could earn money by working.

I have read articles about the end of the SRD grant and how reporters are loudly saying it’s going to cause panic and crisis. Yes, it’s going to be traumatic, but continuing the grant is like planting or building in the sand. The produce is weaker and easily threatened.

“If you are a giver, have limits, because takers don’t have any.”