Tactics & Strategies of UBPA - Implementation

At the meeting held at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) on the 13th of October 2007, the membership of UBPA resolved that the values of UBPA will be commitment; punctuality; respect; excellence and leadership. All these values were ways in which UBPA would serve Uthaka and her community with distinction. To this day UBPA remains committed to these values. Each associate by virtue of membership will be expected to be committed to the cause of UBPA. The same associate will be an individual of high morals as far as punctuality; respect, excellence and leadership are concerned.

The Chairperson in his first ever briefing as such sought to touch on these values at the meeting of the 28th of December 2007 by citing the first president of the ANC Youth League, Anton Muziwakhe Lembede. The quote by Lembede cited by the Chair read:

“As the youth of South Africa you are not called to peace, comfort and enjoyment but to hard work, struggle and sweat. We need young men and women of high moral, stamina, integrity, courage and vision. In short, we need warriors. This means that we have to develop a new type of youth – one with discipline, trained to endure suffering and difficulties. It is only this type of youth that will achieve the national liberation of the African people.”

The Chair remains convinced that UBPA needs the kind of youth as associates that Lembede wanted for South Africa. In that briefing the Chair continued and quoted Karl Marx who said:

“Every Generation has its own mission – they can either fulfill it or betray it.” – Karl Marx Das Kapital.


Again, the Chair is convinced that the youth of UBPA in line with the values of UBPA, its aims and objectives and the constitution will find their own mission in this day and age at Uthaka and fulfill that mission. In any event as UBPA we are bound by the constitution, section 3 to be precise to find our mission and fulfill it so to leave by the aims and objectives of UBPA.

Uthaka Brain Power (UBPA) will always have an annual Plan of Action which will be developed by all the associates and adopted at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Plan of Action will become one of the most significant issues to be discussed and debated at the AGM.
This Plan of Action will be informed by the culture and values of UBPA having regard to the aims and objectives of UBPA. The Plan of Action will always be consistent with the constitution of UBPA, and by all means will be practical and implementable.

Impracticality, ambiguity, and over ambitious will be sufficient grounds to dismiss any proposed Plan of Action at the AGM by the associates. A practical Plan of Action is one that is responsive to the challenges facing the community of Uthaka in general and the youth in particular. It then follows that in developing a practical Plan of Action the associates will have to scout, as is one of the fundamental values of UBPA, for problems and challenges that Uthaka is facing. The associates will then have to come up with ways to address the challenges that Uthaka is facing taking into consideration the resources available to UBPA.

Uthaka for many years has been a depressing place not only to live in but also to be associated with and for that reason it has become a standard practice and a norm that people who are bread and buttered at Wakkerstroom are shy to say so. With a name like Esizameleni to describe a residential area, who can blame them? UBPA aims to bring pride and patriotism to the sons and daughters of Uthaka by placing Wakkerstroom on a map. In the words of one struggle icon popularly known as Mzala by his cadres “history [does not like] blank pages so everything must be told”. History does not also like passiveness so things must be done so they can one day be told, this is a mission of UBPA and will be reflected on all its annual Plans of Action.

Apart from being practical and operable, UBPA will always have a Plan of Action that is supported and committed to by all associates. Associates will support UBPA’s Plans of Actions simply because no Plan of Action will ever be imposed on UBPA and her associates, but every Plan of Action will be developed and deliberated on by all associates. More importantly, all associates are progressive people who are hell bound on seeing lasting change at Wakkerstroom and will support and commit themselves to an Plan of Action that drives or at a minimum seeks to drive that agenda – the agenda for lasting change.

It should never be forgotten nor taken for granted that UBPA is driven by successful; dedicated and determined individuals. Being a member of UBPA entitles one not only to be called an associate and all the advantages that go with that, but also entitles one to be a member of this vibrant family of successful individuals. UBPA as a family takes care of her members as best as practically possible. Any struggling associate at UBPA has a right and an obligation to come forward with whatever problem they may be facing and UBPA will do its best to assist in that problem. The problem members may be faced with may range from academic to psychological stress that is as a result of the demands placed on us by tertiary institutions.

It is the objective of UBPA that it shall always be a relevant source of power and inspiration to the youth of Wakkerstroom.

Thulani Nkosi
Chairperson, UBPA