Sihle Zikalala, the premier of KwaZulu-Natal, claims that communities would only be able to effectively combat crime when they are willing to expose members of their own family who are engaged in illegal activity.
During the memorial service for 13 residents of UMzimkhulu, KwaZulu-Natal, Zikalala made the comments.
The 13 were among the 16 persons who were shot and killed two weeks ago at Mdlalose’s Tavern in Soweto’s Nomzamo informal township.
The memorial service came after a number of tragic tragedies that happened at bars, including the death of 21 young people at Enyobeni in East London.
Four individuals died as a result of a mass shooting that took place at the Samukelisiwe Tavern in Sweetwaters, Pietermaritzburg, about two weeks ago.
After the terrible shooting at Mdlalose’s Tavern, at least 130 AK47 cartridges, according to Police Minister Bheki Cele, were found.
Zikalala warned that violence in society has the ability to sabotage the programme to give a better living for all and damage the accomplishments made by the democratic government since 1994 in his remarks at the memorial service held in UMzimkhulu Hall on Wednesday.
“As we assemble at this memorial service, we are urged to exercise caution and to jealously maintain the peace we have worked so hard to achieve.
Simply put, KwaZulu-Natal and our nation as a whole cannot support the killings and violence.
Zikalala emphasised that we must give peace and development a chance.
In order to remove the culture of killing and violence and to build a new “model man and woman who frown upon violence and intimidation,” Zikalala emphasised that citizens must cooperate.
He asserted that the time is now to grab the opportunity to build more secure, prosperous communities where young people have a wide range of leisure options.
More crucially, according to Zikalala, efforts must be increased to change and desegregate the economy to guarantee that Africans in particular and black people in general also have significant role in the nation of their birth.
This means that in the cities and villages where they are raised, we must provide possibilities for the rural youth of KwaZulu-Natal.
It is evident that rural poverty and a lack of opportunity continue to drive young people from poor families to relocate to larger cities like Durban and Johannesburg in pursuit of job possibilities.
Nearly 30 years of freedom and democracy have demonstrated that our nation still has a long way to go in overcoming apartheid-era spatial planning, rural poverty, and exploitation of labour migration, which served as the foundation of the colonial and apartheid economies, according to Zikalala.
Encouragement given to youth to seize chances fully
Zikalala urged young people to make the most of the chances the democratic State is giving them to educate and skill them starting in grade R and continuing through higher education.
He said that the KwaZulu-Natal provincial administration had made youth employment, economic empowerment, and skill development a top priority.
The Premier urged all young people in UMzimkhulu and the Harry Gwala District to take advantage of their education and skills, saying they are essential to self-development.
Using programmes like Operation Vula, the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Development Fund, support for the township and rural economy, the Black Industrialist Programme, set-asides for women and youth, and 30% of public procurement going to young people, he claimed that government would continue to support initiatives to increase youth employment in KwaZulu-Natal and support young entrepreneurs.
“We make a call to action for all the young people in this province to seize these chances.
Additionally, we kindly request KwaZulu-private Natal’s sector to contribute more to youth empowerment and economic development.