The youth should help achieve a better life for themselves and others Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said on Tuesday.

"I have a dream of seeing young people getting their hands dirty to build the country," Madonsela said at a Youth Day event in Carletonville, according to a copy of her speech.

If there was a struggling clinic, she hoped the youth would get involved in its running, even if it meant working for minimum wage. She called on young people to develop a sense of community service to help rid the country of its many problems.

The aspirations of today's youth were not that different from their 1976 counterparts, Madonsela said. The youth of 1976 wanted freedom from political oppression. Today they wanted socio-economic freedom and freedom from violence.

Young people wanted a fair share in the country's resources, education, access to employment, equal participation in the economy and a say in the running of their country.

"Is it wrong for young people to aspire for these things? Certainly not. If you examine our country’s Constitution, you will notice that these are the things that the Constitution promises to all people of South Africa.”

Madonsela urged young people to make time to understand how the government worked so they could exercise public power. This had to be done through partnerships with public institutions.