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The Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, has lauded the formation of the Western Cape Youth Forum as a critical juncture in the history of the Western Cape Province as it will enable young people to take their rightful place in their development and that of the province.

She said this during the launch of the Forum on April 5 in KwaLanga, Western Cape.  The Provincial Forum comprises the Western Cape districts of West Coast, Cape Metro, Eden, Central Karoo, Cape Winelands and Overberg.

“The launch of this Forum will form part of our history as our country celebrates its 20th year of Freedom. It will be remembered as the day when the youth of the Western Cape Province took their lives into their own hands by mobilising themselves to take charge of matters concerning their own development by saying ‘nothing about us without us’,” said Minister Dlamini.

She urged the hundreds of young people attending the event to pay tribute and celebrate the heroism of the 1976 generation by fighting substance abuse, inequality and working to advance the economic development of young people in the province.

The six-member team of conveners of the Forum, led by Sheila Du Plessis from Cape Metro, received rapturous applause as they were introduced to the crowds of young people.

The launch of the Forum is in fulfilment of a commitment made by the Minister during her visit to KwaLanga in February this year, that the Department of Social Development would help the local youth start a movement to tackle social challenges such as teenage pregnancy, school drop-out, substance abuse, lack of skills development, gangsterism and gender-based violence, among others.

The Forum aims to promote patriotism and active citizenry among the youth of the Western Cape by empowering them to exercise their rights and take responsibility for their own development.

It is expected that the Provincial Forum will work with local authorities to identify, implement and monitor the progress of social, economic and institutional solutions to local development challenges. The Forum will also work to establish forums at district and local levels.

Minister Dlamini has urged the Forum to make as one of its priorities, the creation of awareness about HIV and AIDS and safe sex as more and more young people were not using protection during sex.

She was referring to findings of the household survey released by the Human Sciences Research Council this week, which found that while 85.2% young men aged between 15 and 24 reported using condoms in 2008, only 67.5% reported using condoms on their last sexual encounter in 2012. The survey also found that South Africans were sleeping around more and becoming less knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS.

“I strongly believe that as South African citizens, we should ensure that we promote healthy lifestyles and respond to youth issues as a matter of urgency. Young people are our future and this Forum must contribute to shaping them into productive and responsible members of society,” said Minister Dlamini.

The provincial forum initiative has received support from organisations working for the advancement of youth development, including Disabled People South Africa, South African Youth Council (SAYC), Love Life, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and organisations for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people.