Cape Town - A group of young people from Khayelitsha have taken the Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF) to task over what they said was a lack of youth development in the area.
The group wants the KDF to eradicate unemployment in Khayelitsha by ensuring that malls and shopping centres prioritise young people from the community.
They also called for proper maintenance of Khayelitsha recreational centres and for the Forum to be transparent on developments happening in the area.
The group demanded that the KDF equip the Khayelitsha Youth Development Council (KYDC) and allow it to run its programmes independently and the inclusion of youth on the steering committee of the Prasa project. They also demand a free and fair conference of the KYDC.
The leader of the group, Ludwe Vara, said Khayelitsha as one of the biggest townships was disadvantaged and this has caused many challenges.
Vara said youth unemployment in Khayelitsha was expanding especially with non-skilled youth. He said there was no youth centre and stadiums and community parks were being vandalised and trains are no longer operating in the area. Vara alleged that no youth structure represented young people in the area.
However, the Khayelitsha Youth Development Council Task Team (KYDCTT) dismissed these as opportunistic acts and misrepresentation of young people by a privileged, illegitimate, and disgruntled few. The Task Team said these “self-appointed leaders” were also toying with social issues faced by the youth to mislead the public for nefarious political gains.
KYDC TT co-ordinator Sibongile Maciko said while they concede that socio economic challenges were more prevalent among young people, they are displeased by misinformation and selfish efforts of “dishonourable and self-appointed youth leaders”.
“We call on young people to unite and vehemently refuse to be used as pocket-knives for narrow political gains for those masquerading as leaders. We wish to state that a credible KYDC conference will be an outcome of a thorough administrative process, which starts with the process to verify stakeholders. She said the KYDC Task Team would visit each ward to lead the process.
“In these trying times, we call for unity of young people and support of the KYDC Task Team to eradicate social ills faced by young people,” said Maciko.
Khayelitsha Development Forum chairperson Ndithini Thyido said they stood by the KYDC Task Team standpoint.