Born-frees make own decisions

AS we head into this year's elections, there is much confusion and change in party support. Campaigning is stretching to court cases, banned advertising, food parcels and more to secure votes from South Africans.

With the youth of a country, there is promise for the future but a great task to develop it properly – something which does not seem to be happening. Unfortunately, the youth of today has been influenced greatly by the beliefs of their parents or grandparents.

They recall our history and the horrible things our country's people have suffered through. They tell of the country being changed by leaders like Nelson Mandela who brought democracy to South Africa, but they do not realise that the ANC of today is not led by the same great minds.

We need to honour our past and own our future. The DA aims for equality for all with fair opportunities for all South Africans.

It wants to achieve equality through creating more jobs, especially for the youth of South Africa, as well as improving the economy and education system, among other things. Although the ANC has fixed up some schools and improved other circumstances, it is still not doing enough.

For example, it is not delivering textbooks to schools, as was again discovered in Limpopo this year. This is something that has been an issue for years and affects the education of the youth directly.

Added to that, it has failed to maintain the student funding scheme, NSFAS, which assisted numerous underprivileged students. It is due to this that many students are now unable to commence or continue their tertiary studies.

The DA has said it will increase the budget for the NSFAS as well as guarantee that every qualifying, matriculated student will receive the opportunity of a tertiary education.

Furthermore, most students are stuck with debt and loans to pay off from university with the exception of a few lucky ones. If the debts are not carried by the students themselves, their parents are stuck with them.

When students graduate from university, there is a dramatic shortage of jobs or internships, leading to a greater struggle to settle debts meant for improving life. Many students struggle for years to find a job due to their lack of experience or the fact that there are no jobs available in certain sectors.

In some cases, a level of corruption wins and under-qualified people get the positions due to various factors. Even if starting a business were possible for others, the red tape would halt the process and ultimately compromise another opportunity.

The DA has noticed these problems facing all people in South Africa and is trying to make a difference. It aims to create real jobs and internships, and encourage the hire of youth.

It aims to fight corruption and improve the general education system to minimise the gap between the upper class and the lower class, and provide more opportunities for all. The youth of South Africa should weigh all their options and vote for a party that is focused on helping them.

They should vote for a party because they believe in its values and policies, not because they were told to.

I will be voting for the DA on May 7 because it is the only party with a plan for my future.

Name supplied, Newton Park, Port Elizabeth