Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the newly elected leadership of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) to devise strategies to attract the youth to vote for the party in the upcoming 2024 elections.
Ramaphosa addressed the youth league at its 26th congress in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Collen Malatji was elected president of the ANCYL uncontested.
Ramaphosa emphasised the ANCYL’s role in mobilising young people for the ruling party’s victory.
“You are the motive force that we long to have so that we bring out our people in their millions to support and to vote for the ANC to ensure an overwhelming victory of the ANC in 2024.
It is only when the ANCYL lives and leads the youth that renewal of our movement, the fundamental transformation of our country and renaissance of our continent can become a reality in our lifetime.
Forward with the revival of the ANCYL!
Roar, Young Lions, roar!#ANCYL26 pic.twitter.com/ONrnXcDzLr
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) July 2, 2023
“You must rebuild the ANCYL and adhere to the policies of the ANC, you are required to mobilise for the decisive victory of the ANC. The ANC is optimistic that now that there is an elected leadership of the ANCYL, there will be new impetus and drive to mobilise young people on behalf of our movement,” Ramaphosa said.
He also highlighted the need to address youth unemployment, which currently stands at 46.5% in South Africa, saying that the government must take urgent action to create employment opportunities.
“This newly elected leadership will lead young people at a time when the cost of living in our country is high and unemployment, in particular youth unemployment is unacceptably high.
“More than 11 million people in our country are unemployed. Critically, for this congress the most recent quarterly labour survey says that youth aged between 15 and 24 years and 24 and 34 years recorded the highest unemployment rates of 62%,” IOL quoted the president as sayin.
He added: “Approximately 3.7 million young people between the ages of 15 to 24 were not in employment or training or education. You are therefore correct when you say that youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
