Tuesday, March 19, 2024

SADC at 40; A Youth’s Reflection

Share

By Stephen Nyoni

The concept and definition of youth in SADC has evolved over the past 40 years. From it being the representation of vibrant military men who were willing to lay their lives for the achievement of liberation, to a period in the mid-90s when youth became synonymous with political cadres chanting names of the leadership as the new democratic dispensation came ashore. Eventually, the youth came to be known for their careless assumption of entrepreneurial ideas in the earliest days of the 21st Century. But what does it mean today?

As the days go by, it gets even much harder to come up with a solid definition of today’s SADC youth especially because of the variety of composition of characters and strengths and especially the absence of a single voice of reason. The youth today have been confronted with the complexity of whether to exercise vibrancy as a response to unmet commitments or restraint in the name of future prospects.

We have seen in the most recent times how young people took to the streets in South Africa to demand that their access to education be made affordable through the #FeesMustFall movement. Many young people called on their governments to take action against institutions and demanded the revision of tuition fees. With time, these calls were met with a positive response being the reduction of fees and suspension of any upward adjustment plans. But this came at a cost for a great number of young people who found themselves at the forefront of these protests. Many, such as Kanya Cekeshe (sentenced to five years in prison for public violence and malicious damage to property) or Mcebo Dlamini who received a Seven year suspended sentence but lost the ability to ever practice Law, a program he was studying; have had to bear the brunt of leading the demands of young people in SADC.

Other examples can be found in Namibia through the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) Movement which was essentially an offshoot of the ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO); the leaders of the AR were all former members and even executives of the Youth League of SWAPO. They came out to demand for equal access to and allocation of land to young Namibians who often found themselves at the bottom of the receiving table after old folks and senior party members.

Initially, these calls were ignored with a harsh tone but with time it became inevitable that these young people were there to stay. The amount of support that the AR received in the months that followed was unprecedented in the young single party dominated democracy. Especially that it came from “their own children”. It is prudent to note that the impact that the AR had, though seemingly changing in focus with time, was remarkable in the quest for youths to demand opportunities for themselves and their often similarly disadvantaged folk, the women.

There are many other examples of young people that have decided to demand for change by facing the authorities head-on. Most of them have found themselves on the wrong side of the law with very little help, support or sympathy other than a few social media hashtags which in fact contradict with the completely empty court seats. For most the illusion of support has come only as far as the keyboard with no monetary or economic support of any kind.

The other major challenge has been on the obscurity of activism by politically motivated individuals. Time and time again we have had situations where young people who are genuinely motivated to ask for change in certain elements of the system find that the movement is hijacked by a few who seem to have more social media following but are in fact led by completely different motives. This is largely why the problems of young people in SADC continue to be propagated year after year. In Zimbabwe for example, even after the successful movement that led to the overthrow of the Mugabe regime, it only became clear to some that some of those who were in the forefront had their own intentions. Now, years after the momentous event – a new government in power; again young people find themselves demanding for the same things that they not so long ago called for. Where is the initial leadership of the movement? It is rough I tell you.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum – in this same SADC, some young people have taken serious strides and made steps in the political arena that have inspired even the most critical of onlookers. The Bogolo Kenewendo’s of Botswana who rose to fame after being appointed Minister at just 30 years. She remains an inspiration for so many young people in the region of the possibilities that can be achieved through the right channels. Most recently, Emma Theofelus (who I must mention I shared podiums with while I saved as the President of the Association of Zambian Students in Namibia) was appointed Deputy Minister at the age of 23. These are few among the many that have ended up as Members of Parliament, Councillors; leaders in their various spaces of influence; young people, that are constantly rising to the occasion not to throw stones, but to, through democratic processes demonstrate their potential and who are daily being identified to showcase the same.

It is 40 years since the regional Bloc of SADC was formed, an optimum time to reflect on the progress we have made as a people. 40 years means that none of the people in the demographic of Youths where present or born at the time it was formed. The earliest came years after and it has taken even more years before today’s youth would effectively participate. These issues must be taken into consideration, that SADCs current crop of youths have no first-hand experience with issues of political liberation of states or forming democracies. The efforts of a previous generation have ensured that today’s youth deal with a whole different world all together. It should not be taken however, that this generation is free of struggle. They too are bound by struggles of their times. Sadly, the times and leadership also appear to be a big part of these struggles. That most of the demands should be around service delivery should concern the leadership of today. That calls remain consistent over the past few years being the provision of employment, affordable education and healthcare, equalising the fields that give access to opportunities and building secure and peaceful societies with a guarantee for both freedoms of expression and after expression; essentially, economic liberation.

I have committed myself to participate in the development of the African continent. The progress of SADC is key for this to be achieved. But this must be a possibility even if I am just a young geek with an interest in social development policies. My endorsement of one or the others candidature should not be ideally the onus upon which I access the keys to employment, good healthcare or expression of my ideals.

I am proud to be an African Youth; even more proud that I come from the most peaceful region of the continent, SADC. I am proud to celebrate 40 years of the existence of this amazing organisation that was born out of the aspirations of young people like myself. I look forward to many more years of progress and sustainable development as we celebrate “SADC; 40 years building Peace and Security and promoting development and resilience in the face of global challenges”.

Allouta Continua

The Author can be reached at revsnyoni [AT} gmail [DOT] com on www.revsnyoni.wordpress.com ~@Rev_Nyoni

8 COMMENTS

  1. SADC is one of the most useless gatherings, a club of wanna be dictators.

    The leaders in SADC countries have an unwritten rule ……..

    ” don’t condemn my dictatorial moves or clampdown on democratic freedoms , or unfair elections you might need to do the same one day “

  2. SADC is one of the most useless gatherings, a club of wanna be dictators.

    The leaders in SADC countries have an unwritten rule ……..

    ” don’t condemn my dictatorial moves or clampdown on democratic freedoms , or unfair elections you might need to do the same one day “

  3. The problem is South Africa leadership, it’s not providing the required leadership role in the bloc as a super power in Southern Africa.

    They wait for EU and Americans to voice out and that’s when you can hear them barking at a distant.

    UNLIKE ECOWAS, you SADC is so useless.

  4. Madilu what EU? The EU which is on brink of collapse due to rise in nationalists there where you are. You should be more concerned about your safety there with rise in right wing. The people there are signaling that they don’t want your blackness there. SADC meanwhile is going strong and ensuring political harmony. Please name one civil war that has occurred in a SADC state in past 15 years

  5. Madilu what EU? The EU which is on brink of collapse due to rise in nationalists there where you are. You should be more concerned about your safety there with rise in right wing. The people there are signaling that they don’t want your blackness there. SADC meanwhile is going strong and ensuring political harmony. Please name one civil war that has occurred in a SADC state in past 15 years. The writer is just a disgruntled youth

  6. KZ

    “…..Please name one civil war that has occurred in a SADC state in past 15 years. The writer is just a disgruntled youth….”

    SADC watched on as lungu oversaw the gassing of our people in Zambia resulting in 50 lynching deaths for the first time in our peacfull history…

    SADC watched on as Mugabe brutalized his people resulting in millions fleeing , many being burned alive in SA ……

    How long has the brutal civil war in DRC being on going ???

  7. “So, why is it that Vorster could bring about real change, twisting Smith’s arm to engage in negotiations with his liberation movement opponents that eventually led to a settlement and a transition to majority rule, and ANC governments – from the time of Nelson Mandela onwards – have been so toothless?” wrote Stephen Chan, in Spotlight Zimbabwe.

    Whilst many people would agree that post independent South Africa’s leaders have been “toothless” one cannot say the same of the big man himself, Nelson Mandela. He was one of the few African leaders who did not hesitate to take a fellow Africa leader head on – unheard off given the norm is for leaders to close rank and defend each other.
    “On 27 November 1995, a calm voice issued this jarring statement on the BBC: “Abacha is sitting on a…

  8. Continued
    “On 27 November 1995, a calm voice issued this jarring statement on the BBC: “Abacha is sitting on a volcano. And I am going to explode it underneath him.” It belonged to Nelson Mandela. He was 77, and had already been president of South Africa for a year. Mandela was referring to Gen. Sani Abacha, an obdurate and corrupt dictator in Nigeria who, in addition to still holding the winner of his country’s presidential election in solitary confinement, had just executed the writer and environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists from oil-blighted Ogoniland. The nine had been condemned by a military tribunal,” reported Africa Renewal.

  9. Leadership at best; Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa urged southern Africa to take a new approach to Zimbabwe, which he likened to a “sinking Titanic” as millions flee economic and political turmoil.
    In one of the strongest African comments on Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis, Mwanawasa said the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had failed to achieve much in negotiations with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
    “Quiet diplomacy has failed to help solve the political chaos and economic meltdown in Zimbabwe,” Mwanawasa said late on Tuesday in neighboring Namibia.

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading