As Youth Month draws to a close, I feel a deep ache in my spirit — not because this month is ending, but because the memory of 1976 lives so fiercely in my bones.
June is more than a calendar month in South Africa. It is a spiritual space, a sacred echo, a reminder that freedom was not handed over gently. It was demanded. It was marched for. It was bled for. And it was carried on the backs of young people who refused to be silenced. They spoke, they fought, they fell — so that we could stand.
Today, I want to honour the young people within the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) — particularly those serving in the IFP Youth Brigade — for holding that legacy with both hands. You have not only stepped into leadership; you have stepped into history. You are living proof that 1976 did not die. It lives on in your actions, your discipline, your courage.
From ward-based structures to provincial and national executive committees, the Youth Brigade is proving that youth leadership can be principled, disciplined, and rooted in vision. You are not chasing clout; you are building a country.
My deepest appreciation goes to the President of the IFP Youth Brigade, the National General Secretary, and every young leader across the country. This month, I found myself deeply inspired while watching Mlungisi Mabaso, our National General Secretary based in Gauteng, take part in a Youth Month debate on SABC News with sis Bongiwe Zwane.
His calm, thoughtful, and well-informed contributions reminded me that leadership doesn’t always have to shout. Sometimes, it leads through clarity. Through focus. Through respect.
But it is not enough to just honour people — we must also honour their work. The IFP has long been a party that believes in the power of young people, not just in principle but in practice. The party’s approach to youth is grounded in discipline, culture, economic empowerment, and dignity.
We are not just calling for jobs — we are calling for systems that allow young people to build sustainable lives.
The IFP has consistently advocated for youth skills development, technical and vocational training, and the restoration of dignity through job creation, especially for young people in rural and peri-urban communities. In our 2024 manifesto, the IFP emphasized the need to “empower the youth to become job creators, not job seekers.” This is not just a slogan — it’s a policy direction.
The IFP supports expanding the EPWP (Expanded Public Works Programme), creating youth entrepreneurship hubs, and ensuring better access to government tenders for youth-owned businesses. It’s about more than just economic survival — it’s about economic sovereignty.
As a gender activist, I would also be remiss not to speak about gender-based violence — the silent pandemic that continues to ravage the bodies and spirits of women, girls, queer people, and gender non-conforming people across South Africa. The IFP has taken a strong stance against GBV, calling for the strengthening of the criminal justice system, the protection of victims, and funding for shelters and psychosocial support.
GBVF is not just a women’s issue — it is a national crisis. And it is encouraging to see the IFP raise it not as an add-on issue, but as a policy priority.
We must also talk about mental health. Our generation is living through so much — poverty, violence, grief, joblessness, broken families, and unhealed trauma. The IFP is one of the few parties that has clearly committed to addressing mental health as a public health and youth development concern.
The party advocates for more community-based mental health services, especially in rural areas, and for the de-stigmatization of depression and suicide, particularly among young men. This is the kind of leadership that sees the whole person — not just the vote.
And as we continue to talk about inclusion, let me say this with love and clarity: we want to see more young women, young people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community holding space and power within the Youth Brigade. If we are building the future, then that future must look like all of us.
The IFP has always believed in unity in diversity — and it is our responsibility, as the next generation, to make sure that slogan becomes a lived reality in every ward, branch, and structure.
Today, I had the joy of visiting the IFP Head Office in Durban. It felt like a return to my political home. For the first time, I went up to the third floor, and in that space I met familiar faces like Pastor Joy, Nikki, David, and others who have given so much to this movement. It reminded me of why I’m here — not for titles or applause, but for purpose. For service. For the community we are still building.
As a young person still very much within the youth category — and as someone who previously served in a national youth structure — I step into this work with a deep understanding of the responsibility it carries.
I know that building political momentum in a new province requires discipline, patience, and unwavering commitment. But my confidence is not self-made — it is rooted in something far deeper.
I often reflect on a powerful dream I once had — a spiritual vision that continues to affirm my path. In that dream, I was in Parliament, and uMntwana uMangosuthu Buthelezi handed me a set of documents and entrusted me with a task. He said to me, “Ngiyakuthemba. Ngiyazi ukuthi uzowenza lo msebenzi.” As someone who is spiritually gifted, I do not take that dream lightly.
My ancestors guide me daily — every hour, every minute, every second — and I walk with their presence in everything I do. That dream was not a coincidence. It was confirmation.
My mother often reminds me of it when I speak about the work we’re doing here in the Western Cape. She says to me, “Ungalibali girl— uMangosuthu wakunika ithongo lasepalamente.” That simple reminder fuels me. It reminds me that I am not here by accident, and I am certainly not here to play small.
I was entrusted with this work — and I will honour that trust. I remain focused, rooted, and resolute in my calling. I do not carry this work alone — I carry it with my ancestors, with those who believe in me, and with the legacy of a movement that has always been about servant leadership and principled discipline. This is not a position — it is a purpose. And I intend to walk it all the way forward.
I would also like to extend a heartfelt word of gratitude to Babu Mpontshane and Bishop TZ Mbatha. Thank you for welcoming me so warmly and for always offering unwavering support. Your wisdom, patience, and steadfast belief in the vision of the IFP in the Western Cape have been deeply affirming. I appreciate you both beyond measure.
You are great leaders whose presence continues to guide and ground us. On behalf of all IFP members in the Western Cape, I want to honour you both for the courage you embody and the leadership you offer so generously. Your support reminds us that this journey is not ours alone. We walk it with giants. We walk it with you.
Enkosi kakhulu. Siyabonga kakhulu. Let the journey continue.
To the Youth Brigade leaders across the country — and especially to those in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and beyond — the Western Cape Youth is watching, learning, and preparing. We are ready to build. We are ready to serve. And we are deeply grateful for your leadership and mentorship as we begin to strengthen our structures and grow our movement in this province.
On this final day of Youth Month, I want to say thank you. Thank you for showing up — not just for your positions, but for your people. Thank you for leading with integrity, with humility, and with commitment. Thank you for carrying the dreams of 1976 forward — not as hashtags, but as policies. Not as memories, but as missions.
May the IFP Youth Brigade continue to rise.May our leadership be inclusive, visionary, and uncompromising in its ethics.
And may we never forget that this land — with all its pain and possibility — is ours to shape.
Bayede, Youth Brigade.The future is in capable hands.
Let us build it — together.
Camagu bantu abatsha!!!!
