Indeed, I am told that this very restaurant was funded by the Umsobomvu Youth Projects Business Partners Franchise Fund last year. It is, therefore a most appropriate place for us to enjoy our meal.
It is often repeated that the youth are our future. And while true, this rather bland statement does not define what sort of future we are talking about, or who will lead the next generation in the Western Cape, and indeed South Africa.
This is why it is particularly heartening to see young people who are helping define the goals and standards of that future, so that when I am an old man rocking in my chair and sipping my cocoa, I can feel, like an Olympic runner, that my generation has passed on the flame and that the Western Cape is truly going for the gold.
There are two things that I would like to pull out of my analogy with the Olympics (which I hope we may one day host) and that is that ‘going for the gold’ has two components.
The first involves developing the skills, knowledge and abilities of our young people so that they can compete in whatever sector they decide to join. In this respect, Umsobomvu Youth Projects is playing a critical role. By identifying and developing a wide range of projects aimed at job creation and skills transfer and development, you play a valuable part in constructing the future in this province … The future that you will shape and lead. You are truly ‘going for the gold’ by developing a strong cadre of skilled and capable citizens, uniquely fit to run the course and negotiate the hurdles that lie ahead.
But there is another aspect of "going for the gold" which I would also like to talk about. This relates to the ethical framework within which we operate.
At the Olympic Games, this is a code that governs the spirit and conduct of the competition. And as we "go for the gold", we too must pay special attention to the code according to which we conduct our work and our lives.
Society creates rules that help it to function as it should. Without rules, without an agreement on how things should function, we cannot expect to keep the flame alive. Corruption – however petty – erodes the norms and standards by which we need to govern our lives. And corruption and crime are sadly common in our society. It is, as the Games teach us, legitimate to compete and try to win. But, as you would be the first to tell me, it is not legitimate to break the rules in order to do so.
So one of the things that I look to young people to do is to help set the ethics, standards and codes that will govern our future. The ANC has spoken of a people’s contract, of the kind of agreement that we need to reach if we are to attain our national development goals. This is not a new concept. Indeed, the 18th century French political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau developed the idea of a social contract in terms of which people create order and agreement in a society.
The most important thing about a social contract or a people's contract is that it defines our rights and obligations and the rules according to which we govern our lives. It allows us to agree on the goals and on the methods we will use to achieve them. And it allows us to measure our progress against those goals and methods.
As elected government, we contract to provide certain services and perform certain tasks. But we also contract to fulfil our mandate in ways that help build a firm foundation for the future.
That is our pledge to the people of this province.
In a country like ours, the future can never be a free for all. Without compassion, we are lost. Without equity, we simply deepen our already divided society. Without development, our economy will eventually wither and die.
But, looking at you all today, at some of the young and talented people who will lead us into that golden future, I see that I will some day be able to retire to the comfort of a rocking chair in the knowledge and comfort that our dreams can be fulfilled, our goals met and our hopes rewarded.
Our future is in good hands. I wish you all well. We have much to celebrate and much to look forward to.
As the poet William Wordsworth once wrote of another time of rapid change:"Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive. But to be young was very heaven."
