The Programme Director;
The Premier of the Province in absentia;
Members of the Provincial Executive Council;
Members of the Provincial Legislature;
The Frances Baard District Mayor;

The Sol Plaatje Mayor;
The SA Navy Representatives;
The SA Army Representatives;
The SA Airforce Representatives;
The SAPS Top Management;
All government departments;
Our most honoured guests, learners and the youth;
Fellow South Africans;
Ladies and Gentlemen;

Dumelang bagaetsho, Goeie more, Molweni, Sanibonani, Ndaa,  Avuxeni, Good Morning.
Programme Director, allow me to extend a warm welcome to all gathered here today in this beautiful venue, the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre.

At the core of the decision to host this three day event was the future of our youth and the learners of our province, the potential that they have as leaders of tomorrow and the possible career paths available in the SA Navy, SA Army, SA Airforce, SA Military Health, SAPS and many such institutions.

Today’s programme will be marked by career path presentations from a number of institutions and organisation to your benefit as a youth. Give all your attention to these presentations for they may be a start of a good career for you as a young person. Your future is in your hands. 

The objective of these presentations is not to give you a ‘fish’ but to teach you how to ‘catch a fish’!

As we were preparing and organizing this particular programme, we were reminded of the sagacity in the profound words of former President Nelson Mandela, in 1990 when he said, and I quote:

“If there is one appeal I could make, it is that young people must take it upon themselves to ensure that they receive the highest education possible so that they can represent us well in future as future leaders.”

This is the reason why as the ANC government we remain committed to the historic task of improving access, quality, efficiency and equity in education and career in the defence and security environment, a determination to which the President of our beloved Republic alluded to in the 2013 State of the Nation Address.

Having familiarized myself with the information regarding the quality of training and skills development programme offered by some of these institution, one must say with absolute certainty that they are fundamentally the best stepping stones towards a viable and responsive developmental state.

A career path in the defence and state security institution speaks directly to the creation of a safe and secured country and could be very exciting if you put your passion and dedication to it.

You could be rest assured that this event is not a talk-shop but is aimed at indeed providing our learners with the necessary opportunities they need so that they play a meaningful role in the security industry of our country and province in particular.

Part of the objective of this Career Expo could be located in the context of the National Development Plan (NDP), which states:

“Education, skills development, training and innovation are not a solution to all problems, but society’s ability to solve problems, develop competively, eliminate poverty and reduce inequality is severely hampered without them”.

Our department and many other stake-holders and role-players trust that this Career Expo will definitely be the right direction in enriching our ideas and strategies for developing a skilled and capable workforce. It is only in this way that we can advance the vision of building a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the second area this project is focusing on will be the whole question of Alcohol and drug abuse awareness amongst our youth in the province. 

Our Province is renowned for the unfortunate plague of high levels of alcohol and drug abuse among its youth. This is a sad story to tell.

The National Youth Risk Behavior Survey of 2008, conducted nationally amongst 1147 young people, including participants in 22 schools across our province found that:

• Our province had the highest number of learners who have used alcohol on school premises during school time.
• Our province had the highest prevalence of learners using dagga before the age of 13.
• Our beloved province had the highest prevalence of learners who have used cocaine (10.4%) compare to other provinces and a national average of 6.7%.
• Our province, surprisingly, had the highest prevalence of learners who have used ‘Tik’ (10.5%) compared to the national average of 6.6%.
• Reportedly, our province had the second highest proportion of learners having engaged in sex after consuming alcohol.

This, Ladies and Gentlemen, to me clearly illustrates as to where the vulnerability associated with unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted disease, including HIV /AIDS comes from.

As though this is not enough, our province had the highest prevalence of learners who had threatened or injured by someone with a weapon (17.9%) and the highest prevalence of learners who have driven a vehicle on a public road after taking alcohol (24.7%) compare to national (7.8%).

Programme Director, as a well-known fact to all of us, our province is having the world’s highest reported prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). This causes our newly born kids to have physical and mental defects caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, our province is only having about 2.2% of the South African population and yet is faced with such devastating challenges facing our youth and learners in particular.

As a proud father myself, I think one will be speaking on behalf of many parents in our province when I say they cannot continue unabatedly.  Let us all intensify the fight against alcohol and drug abuse to safe our future leaders from this catastrophic demise.

There is an old adage that says: “Action speaks louder than words”, and in-line with the spirit of this expression, a patriotic march on substance abuse has been organized tomorrow starting at the Colville/Floors community centre to the Galeshewe stadium.

The Northern Cape government and its police department will remain committed to take action against the scourge of alcohol and substance abuse because of their devastating impact on individuals, families, communities and society as a whole.

Let the youth of our province not throw their future into the sea, but agree with what the Minister of Social development,Ms Bathabile Dlamini, said on the occasion of the international Day against Drug Abuse and the Illicit Trafficking, held right here in Kimberley (26 June 2013), when she said, and I quote:

“On this important day I would like to urge the youth of Northern Cape and others throughout the country to never allow themselves to be used as tools of destruction by the drug lords and syndicates. Let us all be inspired by the heroic actions of the youth of 1976 and the wisdom of the forbearers of our struggle and work together to further advance the struggle of young people to attain a better life.” 

As part of the international community of nations, we must use this event and the march of tomorrow to raise awareness about the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse and to call on all South Africans to join us in our effort to build a drug-free Northern Cape.

As I conclude, Programme Director, we wish this event a resounding success; let us all actively participate to ensure that our goals and dreams become a reality.

I thank you.

//

//