Comrade Programme Director
His Excellency the President of the IFP
National Chairperson, Ms V Z Magwaza
Secretary-General, Rev. K M Zondi
Deputy Secretary-General, Prof. C T Msimang, Leaders of the IFP Women's Brigade, Members of the IFP Youth Brigade, National Executive Committee Members of the IFP, National Council Comrade President of NATU and fellow comrade members of NATU, President and leaders of SADESMO, Distinguished members of the diplomatic and consular corps, Amakhosi and members of the royal family present, Distinguished guests, Delegates to conference and comrades all

On September 19 1998, the IFP Youth Brigade met in Ulundi under the theme:
"The IFP leading the youth to build a future worth living in". On July 31 1999, the Inkatha Freedom Party assembled for its 24th Annual General Conference under the theme: "Hand in hand on the uphill road ahead: a new patriotism for the third millennium".

Addressing that historic conference, the IFP President Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi had the following words to say, which I implore comrades to listen to very carefully and to take notes in the notebooks we have provided:

"There is a fundamental difference between the IFP and the ANC which is perhaps most immediately recognised by all our members. We are the party of the bottom-up approach which does not believe in top-down solutions. We are with the people of South Africa. We have always been with the people of South Africa and we have never deserted them. We believe in empowering the lower levels of government and in devolution of powers. We believe in bringing power to the people, rather than bringing a few selected people to power. We are more concerned about the power of the people than we are about the power of government. The IFP is more concerned about listening to what the people have to say than in telling them what they should hear. We are not interested in talking down to the people but are committed to enabling the people to speak up and make themselves heard."

I felt it important to repeat at length what our President clearly spelt out in 1999, comrades, because even now in 2006 these words remain true and relevant as they were back then.

We therefore gather today at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, under the banner which forcefully and unambiguously compels us to assert: "IFP Youth: setting the agenda".

We are setting the agenda for South Africa's moral revolution. We are setting the agenda for healthy and responsible lifestyles. The young people of the IFP are setting the agenda for safe and secure neighbourhoods. We are setting the agenda for economic liberation. We are setting the agenda for an educated nation. We are setting the agenda for the IFP's new cycle of growth - a cycle of growth that will launch the IFP as a steadfast partner in the people's fight for a safer country and better life.

The challenges that lie ahead are important and indeed profound. The challenges of leadership that confront us demand sober and enquiring minds.
A modern IFP requires young people who will leapfrog the party to places it has never been before. A modern IFP requires youth who will shape the IFP of tomorrow today through bold action, creative innovation and hard work.

As the IFP Youth Brigade we must articulate the concerns of all young South Africans - not only of those who belong to our party. Which is why it is very disturbing that everywhere you go, young white South Africans no longer see a future for themselves in this country. Young white South Africans must be able to carve out a bright future for themselves in the country of their birth. Young white South Africans should not feel restricted and hopeless. As a country we need to seriously interrogate therefore, the application of affirmative action in its current form and whether its unintended consequences are causing our white compatriots to despair for their future. Just as the IFP Youth Brigade was the voice of the marginalized youth of the 80s, we need to speak up clearly and loudly in defence of white young South Africans who today bear the burden of lack of opportunity as a result of the colour of their skin.

As we discuss the state of our party and the role of the Youth Brigade therein at this conference, we need to be guided by the spirit of unity. We must strive for stability and continuity in our structures.

Yet as the vanguard and brains trust of our party, the IFP Youth Brigade can never allow a situation where there is stability without progress. There can be no unity without diversity of opinion. But such progress and the expression of diverse opinions must always take place within the climate of our organisational culture. Our organisational culture does not breed populist leaders nor does it promote the habit of jockeying for positions.

I therefore warn members of the Youth Brigade to refrain from factionalism and divisive antics. In some areas where the IFP has been experiencing political turbulence and lack of discipline, members of the Youth Brigade have been at the forefront of the chaos.

Comrades we must beware of senior, very senior leaders of the IFP who want to use the Youth Brigade as a step-ladder to climb towards the highest offices that this party can bestow. The IFP Youth Brigade is not in the business of being agents of ambitious people parading as our leaders of tomorrow. The IFP Youth Brigade is not in the business of being acolytes and praise-singers of those who think that they have arrived, and are now in a position to lead the party. We are in the business of building the IFP, step by step, hand in hand without seeking fame or glory. The founder of the IFP and president of our party, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, has given us one mandate and one mandate only - to grow the IFP, to defend its honour and to promote its values.

With these few words I welcome you all, delegates and guests to the 28th National Conference of the IFP Youth Brigade. This is a conference of new beginnings. This is a gathering of the young people of this country who reject the moral decay that has set into society but who instead choose to embrace a new path of moral renewal to guide us into the future.

The youth of South Africa have not yet received the dividends of democracy - they have not tasted the fruits of our freedom. The IFP Youth Brigade stands poised to serve the young people of this country. We are ready to lead from the front.

In conclusion to go to another matter, comrades would have been aware of the ongoing court case which has been facing me from the time I was still employed by Safmarine in Cape Town. This legal matter that has been going on since July 2005 coupled with the negative media publicity around it has caused me to decide to step aside for a while from being Chairperson of the Youth Brigade so as to protect the image of the IFP from any damage or incorrect perception that may arise. The law of the country says that one is innocent until proven guilty but I feel that the moral cause whose agenda we are setting today as the youth of the IFP, will be better served by me stepping aside until this whole legal issue is finalized in the early part of next year.

This conference will plant the seeds of the IFP tree of success so that one day we may emerge out of its shelter to blossom in the summer of prosperity, health, empowerment, growth and a future worth living in. We are not afraid. We are not discouraged. We are setting the agenda. The Inkatha Freedom Party shall prevail.

I thank you.