1. Hon. Speaker I thank our Parliament for understanding the importance of sectoral parliaments like the youth parliament.
2. I was concerned though at the level and behaviour of our youth during the 2022 Youth Parliament.
3. The level of debate showed a few areas that we as Legislators need to focus on.
4. The level of debate showed that the age of the youth in South Africa should now, almost 30 years into democracy, be changed to 15-24 years like the United Nations.
5. Currently we have youth who are actually adults debating at a level that borders on immaturity.
6. The retirement age is 55 years in South Africa; therefore the youth age must decrease to meet global standards.
7. This July, is Moral Regeneration month. Our school syllabus must change to more interpersonal skills development. School debates is a programme that can shape the minds of youth.
8. Crime was highlighted but the age for drinking in S.A must be increased to 21 years because alcohol does change the behaviour of our children who can drink at 18 years, yet are in school, at times, until 21 years.
9. The MF has advocated mandatory conscription or army training for all youth. This training will strengthen the character of our youth and they will be able to curb crime in communities later in life.
10. The MF believes mental health care programmes must reach schools by means of school health teams because our violence levels are high.
11. Hon. Speaker we need to now remove racial laws and scrap Affirmative Action to ensure that S.A gets the best youth potential to contribute towards economic recovery.
12. Thank you.

Hon. S. Thakur-Rajbansi