Kagiso Trust InBrief Issue#17 August 2015 Aug 2015 | Page 26

www.kagiso.co.za

D

oubting if you’ll get a job or
be accepted into university,
even though you have an
outstanding academic merit,
just because your skin isn’t the right colour.
Do policies, like the BEE instil the equality
that a democracy is supposed to represent?
Nelson Mandela once said that “Education
is the most powerful weapon which you
can use to change the world.”
In South Africa, the standard of education
cannot be equally measured as there
are still many schools not functioning to
the required level, this is evident from
the fact that they do not have sufficient
textbooks, sufficient desks and sometimes
incompetent teachers. If BEE is to be
successful, a high standard education
needs to implement equally across the
board.

of this has been forgotten. People are still
pessimistic and being divided according to
race. There are still limited opportunities,
such as education and the conflict and
violence in South Africa has sky rocketed
as we see the atrocious recent xenophobia
attacks on the news. This is not the South
Africa I dream of or want to live in as a
young person.
South Africa needs independent courts
and a well-run government that reflects
and represents the truth about all South
Africans. How can we let our government
make discrimination illegal, but then they
often do not practice what they preach.
As we all saw, when the government
welcomed President Robert Mugabe to
visit and tour South Africa he made many
controversial and derogatory comments
about South Africans. Why are we allowing
leaders like this to be televised when what
he stands for goes against our country’s
democracy?

A democracy is where everyone
is equal, but I feel, as part of the
South African youth, that people Being a young citizen in South Africa, I
are being disadvantaged within our strongly believe we can achieve a truly nonracist, equal democracy. Nelson Mandela
democracy and its policies.
I dream of a South Africa where everyone,
no matter what race, has access to good
quality education. This would be the
main solution to most of the issues we
face in our country. If everyone had a
good education behind their name, then
issues such as unemployment and the
lack of basic services wouldn’t be relevant
in our democracy like it is today. I dream
of a South Africa where the needs of the
citizens are taken care of. A society where
people don’t lack basic services such as
clean water, proper sanitation and housing.
When Nelson Mandela was set free
from jail, this became an unforgettable
occasion for many South Africans. It was
the beginning of a new era. We thought
we had moved from an era of pessimism,
division, limited opportunities and conflict.
But to me it seems in today’s democracy all

once said in his speech he delivered on
youth day, “I am confident that South
Africa`s youth is more than ready to meet
the challenge of freedom.
We are firm in our conviction that you
deserve a better future.” In order to
achieve my dream for South Africa, we
need to ensure that the values of the
rainbow nation are embraced and that
we are united in our diversity. Each of us
should have to opportunity to hold the
golden key to our freedom.
Delivered by high school learner, Annebelle
Llyod at the Beyers Naudé Memorial
Lecture at St Marks Cathedral, George on
22 May 2015.

26| Kagiso Trust InBrief August 2015