Youth still sidelined despite Stella

The recent cabinet reshuffle has opened the eyes of many sceptics after the president named Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams as the new communications minister. Ndabeni-Abrahams now has the huge task of preventing the looming retrenchments at the SABC; she has to ensure that the public broadcaster is not applying a defensive strategy which is not in favour of the employees. She’ll also oversee telecommunications after the two departments were merged by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The president’s so-called “new dawn” must start recognising young people, as it appears to have begun via Ndabeni-Abrahams, who are competent and have the necessary skills and expertise in different fields. They should be afforded the opportunity to use their skills in government departments. The majority of government departments in SA are headed by senior citizens. It is therefore quite obvious that youngsters are not taken seriously and their opinions not valued. Apart from Ndabeni-Abrahams’s rise, the reshuffle came short in affirming the youth as the other two ministers involved were seniors. The ruling party must ensure that youngsters are being represented in all spheres of government. As we are about to embark on the 2019 general elections, issues facing young people must not be attended to only in the month of June but must be discussed on a daily basis.

Developing SA must be a joint venture between the new generation and the older generation. Sizile W Mnisi Mbombela