Inspired by the UDF and Cosatu as a child

Comrade  Kaizer says he learnt about the  Struggle “during the late 1980s, beginning of 1990s when I was in my secondary school days, attending Molepane Secondary School, Jane Furse in Sekhukhune District, I was following closely the activities of United Democratic Front and Congress of South African Trade Union in the country”. His security guard father would bring home old newspapers for Kaizer to read “During that time, most of the rural areas were deprived of information – except for the then propaganda SABC radios (we had no luxury of TV then). I was relying on reading any materials that I may be exposed to – luckily my father was working at Lowndesgate flats, in Illovo, as a security officer (night watch) and he was collecting all old newspapers in boxes for the family to use them at our pit toilets”.

“One of my hobby from a young age was reading, and I was not lazy to read anything politically related in those newspapers and this triggered my political consciousness, which made me interested in how young people like school learners, contributed to the revolution of bringing freedom to South Africa. At our school, we were exposed to the Learners Representative Council, and I followed their activities, and participated in their meetings until I was encouraged to stand For an election in 1992 when I was doing my matric”.

He was inspired by Moffat Nkadimeng

“Following my active participation, I was elected Deputy Chairperson, as my first organisational position in my life. It was during our term that I was exposed to lots of political information, as our Principal Cde Moffat Nkadimeng was a known ANC activist in our area and a close ally to Cde Aron Motswaledi, the current Minister of Home Affairs who was a practising medical doctor, owning a surgery in Jane Furse. It was Principal Nkadimeng’s political consciousness, his love for education and his hatred for apartheid that inspired me so much to love the ANC”.

‘Never think just within your village, work hard and think big!’

“Cde Nkadimeng would take his time to share with us some of apartheid’s cruel activities closer to us which we were not aware of. A practical example was the orchestrated actions to frustrate him, which was implemented by Nebo Education District influenced by the Nationalist Party government to not open teachers’ posts in our school because he was known to be an ANC activist. Despite this, he was trying his best to encourage us that we must do our best with our studies, as he always said, ‘Never ever my children, think just within your village jurisdictions, work hard and think big because you can be better people in future!’

COSAS sang revolutionary black power songs

“It was during our LRC term in 1992, where I tried to know more about the Congress of South African Students. My first encounter with COSAS comrades was in 1986 when I was doing Standard 4 around March, April when they took us out of the classes chanting revolutionary songs raising their fist, mostly shouting “This is Black Power,” “Ke Mosabalaso”, instructing us to go home. Unfortunately, from 1986 to 1989, the white government deployed the South African Defence Force with the Bantustan governments, in the former Lebowa, which Sekhukhune was part of, and we had brown tents of soldiers erected in our villages. They were ruthless in dealing with political-related activities. COSAS was not active in my village from 1986 until 1992”.

He rewrote matric, got an exemption and moved to Alex.

“I left my school after obtained an Exemption in 1993, following my decision to improve my subjects after obtaining an F symbol in 1992. My community activism resumed in 2000 when my father was retrenched, and we moved to Alexandra. I joined The Rose (non-governmental organisation) under the stewardship of the late Rev Sam Bhuti. It was through my active participation in The Rose organisation that I was selected to be part of the first South African National Literacy Initiative in the country. The project was initiated by the then Minister of Education, Kader Asmal to reduce the level of illiteracy in the country”.

Reverend Bhuti encouraged him not to give up

“We graduated from Alexandra Technical College in 2001 and as a SANLI educator, I taught level 0 learners for a year in Alexandra. We were inspired by Rev Sam Bhuti who encouraged us not to give up in life as young people – even if things seem a little bit tough because many people have sacrificed a lot for freedom in South Africa so that we can live free in harmony and work hard to benefit from all available opportunities in the country. It was Rev Sam Bhuti who explained to us how they saved Alexandra from been removed by the apartheid government”.

He joined the ANC in Rabie Ridge and soon moved up the ranks

“In 2005, I moved with my family to Rabie Ridge and one of the first things I did was to look for an ANC office and through the assistance of Cde Bongani Nhleko who was Ward Councillor then, I joined and became an ANC Sol Plaatjie branch member, under the Chairperson Cde Charles Mbiza. After I joined ANC, Cde Sello Lemao, the then ANCYL branch Chairperson encouraged me to also join the ANCYL and that was where I started to understand ANC. It was during my participation in ANCYL where I understood it as the preparatory school of ANC”. Led by Cdes Lekwane and Jolidee, Cde Kaizer learnt about ANC culture.

The birth of Ward 110

“It was through these factors that I was groomed to become an ANCYL Sol Plaatjie branch executive member, led by Cde Rasmat Baloyi as the Chairperson and Cde Kgomotso Ramolobeng as Branch Secretary in 2006 to 2007. From 2007 to 2008, I served as ANC Sol Plaatjie

“I was fortunate to participate in the JHB ANCYL under the Chairperson of Cde Lekwane Phasha, who was succeeded by Cde Jolidee Matongo. It was vibrant and we had many political workshops, which assisted us to learn more about the ANCYL and the ANC. It helped us to understand the reasons they were formed and their culture, their principles, their constitutions and how to conduct ourselves as ANC members”.

Branch Executive member and from 2009 to 2010, as Branch Deputy Chairperson. Following the 2011 municipal ward delimitations, Ward 110 – Dr Ruth Mompati Branch was formed. I became the WTT Coordinator until we went to BBGM to elect a branch executive committee, where I was elected Branch Secretary, to date”.

The youth must work hard to grab opportunities

“My aspiration for young South Africans is to have a long, ambitious and healthy life. I believe that, despite the huge challenges of youth unemployment in the country, the ANC-led government did the best to create better opportunities for the youth of this country. They just need to get up and work hard to grab them. The practical example is the huge resources made available for free – better education from early childhood level to tertiary level. We must just work hard as communities to fight all the dangerous factors like drugs that are the enemies of youth development in our society”. “South African youth must just know that, they can build a good economic country, through their ambition, resilience and the love for their country – they can make it for themselves and their families, and South Africa will be a better place to live in”.