Numsa youth forum conference
By Siyana Nyaniso
From March 2010 I was part of the leadership elected to lead young metalworkers. I was elected as the deputy chairperson.
I became the national chairperson after the national chairperson, Cecilia Madumise, lost her job due to the closure of her company. Let me take this opportunity and thank everyone that was involved in the establishment of the Numsa youth desk, now called the Numsa youth forum.
I must thank the national office-bearers of Numsa, in particular deputy general secretary Karl Cloete, who guided the desk in its establishment on the policies and the constitution of the organisation.
I thank everybody in head office for the support given over the past two years. More importantly I must thank my beautiful wife and my two sons, who were very supportive of me.
The Numsa youth forum held a national conference which I think was very successful. I must take this opportunity to congratulate the newly elected leaders. I have no doubt that they will take the structure to a higher level.
The conference resolved that the Numsa youth forum, as a campaigning structure of the organisation, must help the organisation to simplify the programmes of the organisation and come up with strategies on how to implement campaigns.
The Numsa youth forum conference proved to the union that it was good idea to establish the youth forum as the preparatory school of the organisation.
The Numsa youth forum conference resolved that swelling the ranks of the ANC, SACP and their youth leagues is more important than ever before.
It has called on all young metalworkers to join the ANC Youth League and Young Communist League of South Africa, and be not just card-carrying members, but take key positions in those youth formations.
The conference resolved that, among other things, it will work very hard to have labour brokers banned and to prevent the youth wage subsidy being implemented by the government. We are calling on young metalworkers to have a clear programme for the implementation of the Freedom Charter.
The conference was graced by the presence of the YCLSA national secretary Bhuti Manamela , the ANCYL deputy president Ronald Lamola, and Lulamile Sibanda, who represents Africa in the WFTU.
When we see the Van Tonders of South Africa in the same public hospitals that we use, using the same public transport that we use, then we will say, yes indeed, there is a rainbow nation.
If the economy of our country is still in the hands of a tiny white minority and a small black elite through black empowerment, we cannot all embrace the vision of the rainbow nation that other people want us to embrace because they are in the comfort zone.
Amandla!
Nyaniso Siyana is the former national chairperson of the Numsa youth forum