Let the youth take over the ANC

The duty of the young is to improve upon the past which is, largely, a world created or messed up by their parents.

What we are witnessing now is that moment when the great grandchildren of Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, Robert Sobukwe, Steve Biko and others must make a choice in terms of who must rule this country and the agenda they must pursue.

They now have the power to determine the political future and leadership of the ANC, especially its character.

The story of their responsibility began in 1994 when Mandela was rightly elected the first democratic president of the country.

He stepped down five years later as leader of the country and party to hand over the reins to Thabo Mbeki.

Of course, over the last 20 years we have come to see how the Mbeki and Jacob Zuma administrations not only lost the plot by losing the vision through infighting and power-mongering but plunged the youth that looked up to it into political confusion.

All of a sudden, the youth hang precariously on a political edge that sees some of them lose faith and turn their back on the ANC because of alleged corruption and failure of political vision.

Luckily, very few have joined other parties.

It is the sort of crisis that comes only once to a generation and perhaps we are lucky that the African youth is coming into it with a deeper political consciousness.

Young people like Malusi Gigaba, Fikile Mbalula and now their new nemesis, the EFF’s Julius Malema, have, over the decades, been forced to take a giant leap into maturity where they have to redefine the character of authentic African leadership.

The former are part of the new brigade that has been entrusted with the responsibility to pull back the ANC from the precipice.

It remains to be seen in the post-election era if they will have risen to the occasion.

Some cynics may not agree with roaring parties at selected middle-class venues and car washes where booze-tinged political discussions take place.

But these mobilisation strategies have proved to be a hit with the township youth soaked in bling culture that glorifies the fast life of money, material worship and everything that money can buy.

Now, for the first time in 20 years, we celebrate freedom and South Africa is poised to see if the youth will come out in large numbers to vote.

The bigger question is: Will they remember and connect with the political history of their great grand-parents?

Of course, the Mandela generation’s power has receded into the past.

Now is the time for their grandchildren — especially those born from 1990 and beyond — to usher in a new era in South African politics.

In fact, this election is what they were born for.

The Mbeki and Zuma generations have exhausted their role through self-destruction.

The 1976 generation as epitomised by Cyril Ramaphosa, Saki Macozoma and Murphy Morobe, for instance, has — in the name of black economic empowerment — abdicated its historical responsibility to pursue status, power and money and everything that it can buy.

It would seem that the best chance for this freedom and democracy is for Mandela’s great grandchildren to assume the leadership responsibility and take this country to new heights.

After all, they are the future of this country and will be the heirs to the society led by the new ANC.

Few will doubt that for them to do so, they will first have to establish that strong link with the Mandela historical mission. This may entail voting for the right party or betray their historical mission.

The nation is waiting with bated breath and the world will know if they appreciate what Mandela has done for them.

The IEC campaigns were specifically aimed at mobilising the youth to participate in the May elections.

Today’s youth may be the antidote to the self-aggrandisement of their parents and soulless politics of greed that has characterised the last 20 years.

Over the last year besieged Pansy Tlakula and her IEC have worked hard to sell the need and urgency of political participation to the youth.

Hopefully, there will be an unexpected avalanche of youngsters who will turn up to express their willingness to take their future into their own hands.

Whichever way they vote, there is no doubt that South Africa has, finally, taken the corner to purge its soul.

There is very little doubt that the youth have had enough of the blackened name of the oldest liberation movement in the world.

Their great grandfathers sacrificed for them to be free and to take the struggle for self-determination to a higher level.