26 May 2025.
Johannesburg, South Africa.
We pledge ourselves to build the unity of youth of the world, all races, all colours, all na-tionalities, all beliefs. To eliminate all traces of fascism from the earth to build a deep and sincere international friendship among the peoples of the world. To keep a just lasting peace. To eliminate want, frustration, and enforced idleness. We have come to confirm the unity of all youth, salute our comrades who have died and pledge our word that skillful hands, keen brains and young enthusiasm shall never more be wasted in war FORWARD FOR OUR FUTURE, so declared a Pledge for Peace and Constitution of World Federation of Democratic Youth (1945).
80 years later, convening in Windhoek, Namibia- the land of the brave under the auspices of South Western Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO Party Youth League), the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WDFY) comes out of the 21st General Assembly intact and stronger, reju-venated and consistent with the founding Pledge. The Young Communist of South Africa (YCLSA) welcomes the outcomes of the General Assembly with great optimism. The 21st general assembly reaffirmed WFDY’s posture, orientation and principled standpoint against fascism, co-lonialism, and the highest stage of capitalism-imperialism.
YCLSA remains a committed member organization of this Federation of progressive, anti-impe-rialist, and democratic youth that seeks to protect the rights, interests and aspirations of the youth world over. It is for this basic reason that we welcome the outcomes of the assembly on the aspect of the deliberations leading to the consensus on the policy stance and political line as well as the composition of the leadership of the Federation.
We are inspired by the fact that neither WFDY nor its member organizations have stopped or paused on our protracted struggle against the aggressive offensive of imperialism. It is critically important to assert ourselves against colonialism, imperialism, against war, interventions and oc-cupations, against blockages, against foreign interference, against Zionism, fascism, racism, xeno-phobia while rejecting oppression and exploitation in building a multipolar world based on prin-ciples of peace and friendship anchored on pillars of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and self-determination.
YCLSA salutes the bravery and resilience of the people of Palestine who withstand and resist heroically to the genocide by imperialism and its Zionist front. The struggles of the peoples of the Middle Eastern countries in the face of destructive imperialist offense. The struggle of people of Latin America defending their sovereignty and rights as led by the gallant resistance of the Cuban and Venezuelan people. The struggle of the Sahrawi people and many other African peoples against colonialism and neocolonialism.
It is at this 21st General Assembly where it becomes more conspicuous that the overall situation of the Youth world over continues to deteriorate. We noted the attacks on the most basic rights of the youth such as healthcare, housing, education, sports, culture and the persistence of job insecurity and rising youth unemployment. This confirms that it is empirical that our well-being is incompatible with the policies and objectives of imperialism. It is common cause that over 80% of the global population lives in poverty while skillful hands and keen minds are led to enforced idleness.
It is concerning to observe that formal education remains stranglehold to the interests and needs of capital, limiting its emancipatory potential by making it a mechanism for ideological reproduc-tion in its favour and thereby closing room for academic freedom or freedom of ideological choice. It is vividly clear that under circumstances the object of education is not to teach the youth to love their people and their culture, to honour human brotherhood, liberty and peace as the Freedom Charter (1950) intimated but to put profits before the collective interest of the people and the youth. This material conditions demand of us to recommit ourselves to a struggle for a social emancipation and economic justice. The conjecture demands a solid leadership collective with clear vision, purpose and perspective about the epoch/situation at hand and one that will build the unity of the youth for the battles ahead.
In this regard, the YCLSA, welcomes the newly elected 35-member organization General Council of WFDY. The General Council is the main governing body of the Federation according to the WFDY Constitution (1990). We particularly congratulate the newly and duly constituted Presidium composed of the President (JCP), General Secretary (UJC) and Vice President for all the regions. We commend SWAPO Party Youth League for retaining the Vice President Africa Region. Ap-preciate students’ and youth organizations in the General Council from all the regions and Africa in the form of the SWAPO Party Youth League, ZANU-PF Youth League, UJSARIO, JMPLA, NANSO, ANCYL and to officially highlight the election of the YCLSA in the WFDY General Council. We are delighted that this significant political occurrence coincides with the YCLSA 103 years anniversary.
Finally, we wish our National Secretary, Cde Mzwandile Thakhudi more strength in his new re-sponsibility of representing the Young Communist League of South Africa in the World Federa-tion of Democratic Youth General Council.
Issued on behalf of the YCLSA 6th National Committee
Mzwandile Thakhudi
6 th YCLSA National Secretary
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