Remarks by the Speaker of the National Assembly, MS Thoko Didiza on the Occassion of the 2025 P20 Youth Parliament

P20 YOUTH PARLIAMENT
HARNESSING PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY FOR THE
REALIZATION OF GLOBAL SOLIDARITY, EQUALITY AND
SUSTAINABILITY

SUB-THEME:
YOUTH ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION, EMPLOYMENT AND
OPPORTUNITIES – DEVELOPING A MEDIUM-TERM YOUTH
DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR SOUTH AFRICA’S YOUTH

BY
HON. THOKO DIDIZA, MP
SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
CAPE TOWN
13 JUNE 2025

CO-Chairs, Hon. Frolick and Hon. Governder
Chairperson of the NCOP, Hon, Mtshweni-Tsipane
Young Parliamentarians (oSingaye Namuhla)
Secretary to Parliament and Secretaries of the Two-Houses
Invited Guests and Presenters
Parliamentary Support Staff
Young South Africans
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction
Honourable members, distinguished guests welcome to this august house which is an institution that craft laws that govern our lives and the guardian that oversee executive action and hold our executive to account. This house brings to life concerns of our electorate and becomes a platform for debate in which we ensure that our society concerns are addressed. It this house where our public representatives whom we elect ensure that the interests of all South Africans in their diversity are deliberated upon.

Today as Parliament we have created a platform where the young public representatives and young people in our country come together to commemorate and honour the role that young people played in the liberation of our country. We honour their bravery , selflessness, resilience and commitment in ending a brutal system that dehumanised a section of our society and took away the dignity of a majority of our people and delayed our progress as a nation.

Today we remember these heroes and heroines because they laid their lives in order for us to be free. We remember them and their deeds in order to underscore the responsibility that we who are living must do to fulfil their ideals and what they fought for. Each day, we remember the generation before them and after. We remember the young people who worked towards bringing the concerns of their communities to Kliptown where the Freedom Charter was adopted seventy years ago. Each day we remember those young people who formed part of the first democratic parliament and legislatures that laid the foundations of a democratic state.

Today we also remember the consciousness that young people who led the fees must fall campaign brought in ensuring that our society and government expand access to education and ensure that the doors of learning are indeed opened. Today we remain conscious that it is the generation of young people today who are comprising the majority of unemployed in our country despite completing their studies. It is for this reason that our theme focuses on economic participation and employment. Co-Chairs , honourable members as we build a new society that is founded
on democratic values and respect for human rights for all, we are conscious that many challenges remain despite the progress that we have made. The challenges of unemployment and in particular youth unemployment remains a sore point in the attainment of our democratic dividend.

During our deliberations, we need to reflect on ways in which our country can grow our economy that allows for participation for all South Africans. As much as we are part of the global community and therefore affected by geopolitical shifts that occurs as a result of pandemics and conflict, we need to find solutions that address our immediate challenges in order to give hope to those young people who feel in the margins of society. Economic participation cannot be realised unless we create enabling environment that is conducive . We need to look at how are our corporate citizens support the transformation agenda. Are our financial institutions friendly to young entrepreneurs? Our trade promotion strategies taking into account the concerns of young traders?
We need to examine current policies and make inputs on what we need to do to address the scourge of unemployment in particular youth employment.

This forum is part of crucial activities designated to solicit young people’s voices and to gather their insights in the development of the P20 and G20 Speakers’ Summits later in the year. P20 Youth Parliament is hosted under the theme of “Youth Economic Participation, Employment and Opportunities – Developing a Medium-Term Youth Development Agenda for South Africa’s Youth”.

As such, the P20 Youth Parliament seeks to capitalise on the collective wisdom of parliamentarians to shape the developmental agenda of young people. Co-chairs, the P20 Youth Parliament is therefore a forum that is designed to uplift the political, social and economic issues that can be tabled to the leaders of G20 countries. It is also expected to stimulate robust debates and formulate solutions that can positively impact the lives and aspirations of all young people in the country. Subsequently, the outcomes of this session are to shape and influence the agenda of the P20 Summit.

Young People Are a Solution to Global Challenges

Co-chairs, I need not to remind you that the world we live in is mirrored by many issues and hardships, ranging from climate risk, trade protectionism, high levels of poverty and unemployment as well as intensifying geopolitical tensions, to mention the few. History has thought many of us that “youth” is a sacrosanct ingredient in the process of formulating sustainable solutions to the challenges that are facing the world.

Young people are dynamic, innovative and energic, making them a valuable asset to champion any perceived social and economic justice in our society. When South Africa was involved in a struggle against the regime of racism, oppression, and segregation; it was the youth of 1940s that took a decision to form a solidary, which marked a shift towards a mass-based approach to the struggle. It was the youth of the1960s, mainly from the centres of higher learning that championed the ideal of consciousness, self-reliance and the pursuit of social and political justice in our country.

Co-chairs, it was the youth of the 1970s that took a bold step and stood against the immorality of imposing a certain language as a sole medium of instruction in schools. Today, we pride ourselves of Democracy Institutions like PansLAB and CRL Rights Commission, which are a testament to the efforts of the 1970s youth and many other young people that fought for a prosperous society that is built on the values of peace, equality and unity. It is this triumphant of our past heroines and heroes that must serve as a root of inspiration and wisdom to shape and influence the present and future laws of our country. Two-days ago; we passed the fiscal framework that will unlock the finances of the Medium-Term Development Goals. Our task today is to frame what should be the priority for youth in these medium-term goals. This means the debate and political party statements must unpack the issues and propose solutions that will improve youth inclusion in the job market and business. Measures that will empower youth to maximise the opportunities brought by the Artificial Intelligence using our local languages

Youth Activism for Social and Economic Justice

Co-chairs, there is an urgent and significant need of an antidote for young people to resist the temptation of hegemony in dealing with the high levels of unemployment, poverty and crime in our country. While we must all be the vanguards of public institutions that gives us accurate economic data, we shall not accept the realities that are echoed in these datasets. The high unemployment rate and poverty shouldn’t define who South Africa is. Crime and violence should not be the barometer of our people’s conduct.

However, the current trajectory cannot be altered if the voice of the youth is mute and if young people are disengaged from activism and politics. Co-chairs, as I close, a key insight we can derive from the youth of 1940s; 1960s and 1970s is the solidarity they had to pursue common interests. To reflect those times, it requires the youth to drift away from the “us-and-them politics” towards a politically apathetic activism. The present economic realities demand of the youth to form solidarity based on the desire for social justice and economic inclusion. The solidarity to promote sustainable development and defeat any form of discrimination in our societies.
I thank you.

…END!