The Minister of Finance, Mr Pravin Gordhan will present the President’s Youth Empowerment Awards on behalf of President Jacob Zuma tomorrow, 21 September in Cape Town.
The President, who took over from former President Nelson Mandela as Patron-in-chief of the awards last month, is officiating at the ruling party’s National General Council and is unable to hand out the prestigious awards.
The President’s Youth Awards promote respect for human rights, peace and solidarity by encouraging young people between the ages of 14 and 25 from diverse backgrounds to work together as active citizens of the country in various projects.
During the State Visit to the United Kingdom, President Zuma agreed to a request from the Duke of Edinburgh, to serve as Patron-In-Chief for the South African awards. The Duke of Edinburgh is the Founder and Patron-in-Chief of the Edinburgh International Award Association which runs the project.
Minister Gordhan will hand out 60 gold awards, 26 of them being won by youth from Western Cape correctional centres. The Awards have had an impact on the lives of many young people. Previous award recipients include the following:
- Ross McCreath from Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, who two years ago, set up the Tiger Titans cricket team in Nolukhanyo Township outside Bathurst as part of his community service component of this award programme.
- Participants at Robertson Correctional Centre who through their Poverty Alleviation Project called “Garden for Life” are supplying local organisationswith vegetables to feed children in need. They plant, maintain, harvest, package and distribute the vegetables as part of their service to the community in which they are situated.
- Georgina Venning from the Western Cape who last year for her Gold Adventurous Journey hiked up the highest mountain in Africa - Kilimanjaro - in the process raising R35,000 for the Red Cross Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town.
“I am very honoured to be part of this important project. We would like the activities of the participants to inspire other youth organisations so that this country becomes a beehive of activity, each person making a unique contribution to improve our communities’’.
The President encourages the youth to develop practical skills such as cooking, sports coaching, dancing or learning a musical instrument, which can earn them an income in future or which helps other people.
“With this Programme, it is possible to reach goals if we work together, if we recognise and utilise the strengths in one another and if we remain focused on our ultimate goal of contributing to the betterment of this country,’’ said President Zuma.
Enquiries:
Zanele Mngadi
Cell: 082 330 1148
