Premier of Gauteng Ms Nomvula Mokonyane,
Minister Collins Chabane, Minister in the Presidency,
Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande,
Deputy Ministers,
Chairperson of the NYDA, members of the Board and management,
Members of the Mahlangu family,
Students,
Ladies and gentleman, 

Good morning to you all.

We meet sadly just a few days after the passing of Mama Martha Mahlangu, the mother of Solomon Mahlangu, that courageous freedom fighter after whom the scholarship that we are officially launching today is named.

We extend our deepest condolences to the Mahlangu family on this sad loss. 

I had the privilege of spending some time with Mama Mahlangu last month in Cape Town on the occasion of the State of the Nation Address. She was very happy to be part of the occasion as my special guest, accompanied by her grand-daughter, Bathabile. 

Little did we know that just a few weeks later she would be no more. 

I saw her in hospital on Monday the 10th of March. Although she was seriously ill, we never lost hope that she would get better.

We have lost a solid mother of the nation, an activist in her own right and a pillar of strength to her family and many who looked up to her. 

We can only find solace in the fact that she lived to see the freedom and democracy that her son lost his life fighting for.

Given his sacrifice and commitment to free this country from the yoke of apartheid colonialism, it is appropriate to name such a scholarship after Solomon Mahlangu.

When he went defiantly to the gallows in 1979 at the tender age of 23, he left these powerful words. 

He said: “My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight".

Today, his blood is nourishing the tree of education and progress, the fruits of freedom.

As we celebrate 20 years of freedom and democracy this year, we commit ourselves to ensuring that young people in South Africa would live a better life than we did during our time, during the era of apartheid colonialism where education was used as an instrument of subjugation.

This occasion today, proves that the democratic government views education as an instrument of freedom and development.

We want access to quality education to be one of the tangible fruits of freedom for our youth.

Just a few days ago we gathered in Boksburg for the Presidential Youth Indaba on Youth Jobs and Skills.

The purpose was to track progress we have made in implementing the Youth Employment Accord that was signed in April last year by youth leaders, business, labour, government and the community sector. 

I am mentioning this because the Accord has six critical commitments. Key among these is Education and Training. 

The Indaba dedicated a considerable amount of time on discussions around education particularly access and enrolment. 

This confirms that we are united in recognising education as an apex priority for our country.

In line with this strategic national focus on education, the core business of the National Youth Development Agency has been changed to focus on education and skills development. 

This repositioning is informed by the numerous studies undertaken, which indicated that most young people in the country actually derive their income from salaries and remittances instead of entrepreneurship. 

The studies further indicate that the level of education and the quality of that education promotes the chances of employment for the youth.

Therefore, the NYDA’s new intensive focus on education and skills development is in line with the developmental needs of young people.

The NYDA will still continue to promote youth enterpreneurship, but this will be a secondary focus.

The establishment of the  Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund is in line with this new NYDA approach of prioritising education, in line with the country’s priorities.

The scholarship has been established with a seed investment of R10 million.

The Department of Higher Education, through the National Skills Fund, has made a further contribution of R10 million, taking the fund to R20 million.

This is a good sign. It means this fund is likely to grow even further, providing much-needed support to the youth.

The scholarship augments interventions such as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), whose budget government increases each year in line with the increase in the numbers of young people attending higher education institutions in the country.

We congratulate all the young people who have successfully gone through the selection process for the Solomon Mahlangu Student Fund. It must be truly an honour for you to be the first recipients of this prestigious scholarship.

The scholarship is an addition to the good work that is already being done by the ANC government to improve education and training. 

A very good story to tell, for example, is that of the opening of two new universities this year, in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape, following an announcement I had made in the 2012 State of the Nation Address. 

The two universities began accepting students this year. 

We are also building twelve new Further Education and Training campuses across the country – mostly in rural areas, and refurbishing two others.

The opening up of new institutions is informed by the dramatic increase in the student population each year. 

Student enrolments at universities have increased by 12% while FET college enrolments have increased by 90%. 

The National Development Plan envisages an increase in higher education enrolments from 17 percent in 2012 to 25 percent by 2030. Indeed, our young people are hungry for education.

Another demonstration of the passion for education is the success of students who had otherwise failed their matric, who are assisted by the NYDA’s National Senior Certificate Matric Rewrite Programme.

To date, more than eight thousand young people have been assisted to rewrite their matric. 

It is good that we have among us some of the graduates of the rewrite programme who are now beneficiaries of the Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund. 

And they have done exceptionally well. 

These students include Naledi Mapula Khoza who achieved 95% in Mathematics, 72 % in Physical Science and 85% in Accounting. 

We also have Johannes Tebalo Kokozela who achieved 91% in Mathematics and 79% in Physical Science, and Nqakiso Moyo who achieved 83% in Mathematics and 77% in Physical Science. 

These achievements, second time around, demonstrate that our youth is capable of great achievements if they are given the opportunity. 

Our responsibility is to ensure that our youth obtain these opportunities, which is the purpose of this fund.

The youth is our future. We will continue to invest in our country’s future through investing in education and training. We are investing in skills development so that we can produce the skills necessary to grow the country’s economy and create jobs.
 
Compatriots,

In taking forward this good story of investing in education, we are  guided by the words of President Nelson Mandela who said:

“Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. 

“It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.” 

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to officially launch the Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund!

To the youth, you have been given the tools of the trade. Go out there and succeed and make us all proud. 

Go out there and make Solomon Mahlangu’s name a true symbol of success and achievement. 

I thank you.