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Durban - When ANC cadres get into government positions where they get called chief and madam, they forget the resolutions of the party, ANC Youth League president Collen Maine said on Saturday.
"We are calling on them to remember the resolutions and implement them," said Maine, speaking at a Youth Month rally at the Kings Park stadium in Durban.
Maine told a crowd of young people to remember the heroes of June 16 1976.
"The youth of SA are [now] jobless, homeless, landless and struggle to get start-up capital for their businesses. They also struggle to access higher education and they have turned to alcohol."
Demands
Maine said the youth had agreed to vote for the ANC on August 3, but there were demands.
"Their demand is free and quality higher education. We believe that the fees must fall and [there must be] free education until [a] first degree. By providing free education it's not doing the youth a favour.
"We demand free education as soon as yesterday."
He said it was the responsibility of young people to fight those who burn schools, as no amount of anger could warrant such behaviour.
"The other demand is jobs. We know there are problems all over the world. We demand that the ANC in government engage in an aggressive job creation campaign. The youth in our country cannot be held to ransom by a fellow called 'experience'.
"Our youth is educated. They will be able to do in-service training. We demand localisation and industrialisation. We need to start procuring locally manufactured goods."
Maine said it was not right that South Africa had a Post Office but government did not use its services.
"Workers are complaining that they do not have money. Where will they get the money when all the money is taken to the private sector?"
Another demand was the creation of a state-owned bank.
On land restitution, he said: "It is painful to continue to vote for the ANC which is struggling to get back the land which was taken by the barrel of the gun in 1913. Rural youth want to be in agriculture because the land they live on is not theirs."
President Jacob Zuma received a resounding welcome when he walked into the stadium, which was decked out in black, green and gold.
As Zuma walked onto the pitch, he waved and shook the hands of some young admirers.
National Executive Committee members Fikile Mbalula, Malusi Gigaba and Zizi Kodwa were also present.
- Find everything you need to know about the 2016 Local Government Elections at our News24 Elections site, including the latest news and detailed, interactive maps for how South Africa has voted over the past 3 elections, or download the app for iOSand Android.
