We started as foot soldiers. This bad practice of jumping the structures should be rejected with the utter contempt it deserves

By Tuyeni Konica Kandume – At present I serve as a SPYL Central Committee Member Elect. I thought this was the highest level I served in my political youth structure, but as I move on I am realizing that I continue to honour my pupils with faith and in return they honour me with trust.

My humbleness to serve is by guiding and fulfilling the congress resolution and mandate. I am also serving as a Country Representative, Executive Member of the Southern African Youth Forum SARYF has been initiated in 2012 to offer young African leaders an opportunity to share visions and to discuss the way forward to contribute to democracy and social justice, to influence politics and policies in African Countries.

Consultant and Facilitator of Youth Leadership development Programme: I have trained over 500 youths in Namibia. The aim is to empower the youth with leadership skills that help promote independent thinkers with a purpose.

I have been asked to stand for the position of Deputy Secretary of SWAPO Youth League and this brought about great recognition of my hard work in serving the esteemed values of our party. As a women I feel honoured to have been approached to contend for the position of Deputy SPYL. I want to remark that there is no political justification for keeping the youth poor. And I will strive to work for economic justice in our life time. We have a biological weapon on our side – 60% youth (of the population) should not be played with. We are suffering, we need urgent intervention to deal with the plight of education, unemployment, poverty, landless youth. Only then can we talk about restoration of hope for our people. SPYL was, is and always will be the vanguard of ideals and aspirations of militant youth who know how to demand what is rightly theirs.

However the past years has reduced SPYL to the wishes, whims and caprices of those who subscribe to capitalist [ideals] who have since been using the organisation for self-gain to benefit close friends and associates, not to mention the appointment of those who have jumped the structures and have no regard for the Rank and File of SWAPO youth league. I want to emphasise this point, – structure is a very important tool in the branding your organization. I have served the branches as a foot soldier. We started from there!

This is where our oratory skills began. This has not been easy and that should be the order of the day, therefore this bad practice of jumping the structures should be rejected with the utter contempt it deserves.

You may agree with me when I say that some have definitely a misplaced ideology of SPYL. The last time I read through the Constitution of SPYL, we are still going the left way. We should not deviate from being a democratic socialist system [since this] is perhaps the closest to humanity “I am because you are”. In my 15 years of my uninterrupted membership of volunteering my skills I will rededicate my effort to Rebuild and Revamp the organisation while restoring the militancy of the once vanguard league.

The likes of the previous leadership has taught me well and I will not surrender or shy away from speaking Truth to Power! The bad thing that should never happen in SPYL is to take away democratically elected youth and surppress them. There should be no interference in our governance structure, that is why we have a SPYL Constitution, for as long as we operate in the ambit of militancy and not to cause anarchy. I will strive to put to an end the ongoing factions in the Youth League because we have to move forward and allow the pioneer movement to take over the fight for the 4th Industrial Revolution.

I prevail in circumstances that say let us replace the free condom with free sanitary towel. I prevail in circumstances that say we need free vocational, technical education. I prevail in circumstances that say the jobless youth should be placed under internship to fill the gap of inexperience. I prevail in circumstances that will replace a revolution with a necessary revolution to deliver on gender empowerment but I am quick to say no women should be wheelchaired into a position because of their association with rich friends who think for them. [As] young women we should all earn this position on merit, capacity and intellect and not because of regionalism, tribalism, ethnicity or associates.

I therefore prevail in circumstances that say we must not recycle the old leadership. Let us replace with the young leadership. Economic justice [will only] prevail when the rural community bridges the digital gap in all 14 regions. This makes it easier to maximise the potential of young entrepreneurs to become job makers. Indeed, [as] the youth, we should be a necessary irritation alternately they forget us thus silence is the mother of all betrayal.

Therefore act young and feel young! Only logical explanation prevails when we have a youth that strive in an environment that makes us know that we will all excel in all sectors of the economy, regardless of where we find ourselves in an independent Namibia.

I prevail in circumstances that ought to define the mission for Economic Justice. not the ones that seek to betray our generation. Let us seek the guidance of God in asking [for] the knowledge of his wisdom, [so] that we will spiritually fight against all principals and principalities of this world. Like water tight evidence, so are we all foreigners on earth thus we have a duty to feed the poor, provide hope for the hungry souls, end misery, corruption and greed.

Therefore I strive to put tangible and intangible action to reality by compelling our SWAPO-led government [to] listen to the youth. When I am there I will not forget, so be hopeful comrades and let us take charge of our own affairs.

Tuyeni Konica Kandume is a member of the Central Committee of SWAPO Youth League and a lawyer by training.