Durban Youth Radio: Youth Week feature
Today DYR talks to….
Refeloa Zililo (26)
Sailing Instructor for Sail Africa
1 What is the greatest thing about being a young person in SA today?
Our different cultures, diversity and our democracy. And of course, our beautiful country and the fact that there is a world of opportunities you can reach out for and with hard work – achieve it.
2 What is the single biggest challenge of being a young person in SA today?
The high unemployment rate, there are so many young people out here sitting with degrees but have no jobs and then there are those who expect everything to happen for them and have become lazy. Not willing to go out there for themselves and grab opportunities and make a difference.
3 What one thing can young people do to make the world a better place?
Giving other young people a role by inspiring them to join you. Not only will you be teaching other young people about the important issues we are faced with but also encouraging them to teach others. That can be done anywhere, even in your community, school or work place.
4 What one really useful thing can young people learn from their elders?
Respect and knowing who you are as a person.
5 If you could be mayor of Durban what one thing would you do to help the youth?
As a mayor I would encourage self-empowerment from the early stages of education, to create a new generation of self-empowered youth. By doing this you start to uplift the economy, the standard of living and create a more positive mindset for the public. A big one for me is promoting pollution awareness via educational programmes so that they have a better understanding of the importance of our environment and the role we play.
• Durban’s sailor, Refeloa Zililo will be jetting off to the Spanish Mediterranean island of Palma where he will compete in the The SuperYacht Cup from 21 – 23 June. The local sailor has been part of the sailing scene for the last decade and this is his first major steps into the international scene. Having more recently competed in the hard-core Vasco da Gama Ocean Race in April, the Durbanite will be trading in his L26 for a sleek, magnificent 70 plus foot SuperYacht. The SuperYacht Cup is the oldest superyacht regatta in Europe, and the big boats will be racing for three days around the Spanish island. He returns at the end of the month where he will be skippering a team in the upcoming MSC Week and the prestigious Lipton Challenge Cup that will be taking place offshore of Durban, hosted by Point Yacht Club.
