Youth Parliament held in Kwadukuza
14 June 2007
President of the African National Congress (ANC), Oliver Tambo, once said
and I quote, "A society that does not invest in its youth does not deserve its
future". We are gathered here today as part of the Youth Month that seeks to
highlight government programmes on youth. Addressing challenges facing youth
today cannot be limited to one month in a year, but must be part of an
integrated youth development programme supported by initiatives of government
in its entirety. Under a democratic dispensation, youth face new challenges. As
a provincial government, the following are some of our specific interventions
for the upliftment of youth in our province to meet some of the challenges:
In the Department of Health the government has youth who provide home-based
care. The Department also provides bursaries for training in the medical field
The Department of Social Welfare and Population Development also provides
bursaries to train youth in social work. This programme has started in several
local universities. It also has social auxiliary workers who train youth in
various aspects of social services. The department also trains youth in early
childhood development and also to mentor orphaned and vulnerable children.
The Provincial Treasury runs a programme on the procurement of services that
targets youth. The Department of Economic Development funds cooperatives that
target youth entrepreneurs. The Department of Agriculture and Environmental
Affairs runs several youth programmes that include piggery and the eradication
of alien plants. The Department of Education, through its further education and
training (FET) colleges provides technical skills to youth which include
carpentry and plumbing in order to contribute to national programmes such as
the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) and the
Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA).
The Department of Safety and Security will soon launch the anti-crime
campaign with the initial deployment of up to 1 000 volunteers, most of whom
will be youth. The Department of Local Government and Housing provides over 400
community development workers who have now been fully employed from all
district municipalities. It also offers tenders to youth in the construction of
houses. The Department of Works participates in the National Youth Service
through the provision of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). Youth are
also taken in for work relating to construction and repair of buildings and
property development. This department also offers tenders specifically designed
for the youth. In the Department of Transport, Youth participate in the
Vukuzakhe Emerging Contractor programme that helps emerging road construction
companies.
Growing the Economy
Because peace has come we are now able to attract billions in rand
investment into our economy.
* the construction of the airport in Durban at a cost of over R6 billion
* the construction of the Dube Trade Port costing R4 billion
* the construction of an Iconic Soccer Stadium in Durban costing R2,2
billion
* the widening of the Durban Harbour and Port at R10billion in 10 years
* increasing expenditure on roads all over the province - at least R300
million
* hosting part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup programme
* the agrarian revolution as the basis of economic growth
These are just some of the major projects and programmes we are pursuing in
our province. When one looks at our skyline over the next five years, you will
continue to see cranes hoisted hundreds of metres above ground, caterpillars
moving up and down as KwaZulu-Natal becomes one major construction site. This
expenditure which is worth billions of rand, is unprecedented in the history of
KwaZulu-Natal and comes on the back of robust economic growth never seen in our
time. You will no doubt see women and men in the length and breadth of our
province waking up in the morning to till the soil to produce massive supplies
for the export hub at the Dube Tradeport. Trucks will continue to criss-cross
our province delivering supplies and goods to the rest of the country as we
move the economy from our sea front in tandem with the international
markets.
In this environment we must see the acceleration of land reform initiatives
and Black Economic Empowerment. Black Economic Empowerment will in part help us
answer the question, what are we doing to bring new players as owners,
managers, skills training candidates in the whole economy of our province? We
have clearly moved from the war against oppression to the struggle against
economic deprivation. In this environment the opportunities for the youth and
the rest of all our people are endless. The opportunities in the infrastructure
projects we have mentioned above are endless. We are not saying that our youth
must know how to build an airport themselves and from scratch.
Skills development
In these projects we must ensure that critical skills are passed onto the
youth. We are saying that youth can provide fuel supplies, cement, bricks,
pipes, seats, decorations and many other products as part of the main suppliers
or in cases where possible, on their own. As a province we have already
identified the skills which are necessary to help us maintain our growth
trajectory and successfully carry out the above projects. While we engage the
Youth in these projects we must ensure that skills are transmitted to our young
people. We have placed on learnership just under 900 people in the various
sectors of our economy including construction, engineering and information
technology (IT).
We currently have 100 learners on IT learnership for the disabled. They have
completed their theoretical learning and are being placed in municipalities and
provincial departments for experiential learning. This learnership is funded by
the Information Systems, Electronics and Telecommunications Technologies
(ISETT) Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA). The following further
learnerships are in the process of being implemented:
530 EPWP Construction Learnerships including
* New Venture Creation learnerships
* construction contractor learnerships
* construction supervisor learnerships
There are 120 apprenticeships in manufacturing, engineering and related
services. These apprenticeships include motor mechanics, welders, millwrights
and refrigeration mechanics. There are 120 automotive sector learners covering
millwrights, electricians, diesel fitters, electrical technicians, mechanical
technicians, civil engineers and electrical engineers. All these above
learnerships have been identified based on the programmes and projects which
are part of the Growth and Development Strategy of KwaZulu-Natal. As indicated
above, these include the Dube Trade Port, the airport in La Mercy,
manufacturing, port expansion, soccer stadium and the EPWP.
Youth Commission
Earlier this year we launched the Provincial Youth Commission which has six
full-time members. On an urgent basis we need to develop a Provincial Youth
Service Plan. The Provincial Youth Commission (PYC) also needs to ensure that
their structure is institutionalised. The proposed quick wins for the PYC
are:
* To encourage the youth to enrol with Further Education and Training (FET)
colleges for skills development. The Department of Education has allocated R600
million over three years for this purpose.
* to develop a social crime prevention project aimed at making youth
ambassadors of a crime-free society
* to launch a general education campaign with objectives of addressing the drop
out rate and reducing child pregnancy, this will target both boys and
girls
* the formation of co-operatives directed at youth in line with the Integrated
Development Plans.
The National Youth Commission (NYC) exists in order to do advocacy work on
youth matters. The NYC has over the years condensed youth challenges into three
i.e. employment creation, poverty alleviation and literacy campaign. As a
result of the NYC's work we have seen a number of interventions from national
government. These include the roll out of learnerships, additional funding
towards the National Students Finance Aid Scheme, recruitment of unemployed
youth into the Expanded Public Works Programme and opportunities arising out of
the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The NYC has brought the private sector into Youth
development in a bid to create employment and business opportunities for our
young people. Other initiatives involve the youth in building social cohesion,
building the soul of the nation and leading the Moral Regeneration
Campaign.
The Youth Commission (PYC), however, has to be constituted in terms of the
KwaZulu-Natal Youth Commission Act. The Act requires the appointment of the
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. As government we will
provide all the necessary administrative support for the PYC to function. The
PYC as a public entity will report through the Premier to parliament and will
now be able to do business in its own name including raising its own finances.
This makes it possible for legislature and youth in general to monitor and hold
accountable the PYC.
Some challenges to this progress
Our province has 4,2 million children (those under the age of 18 years) out
of a 9 million total population. This means we can no longer beat about the
bush when we talk to our children about HIV/AIDS. We must do more to ensure we
create an HIV-free generation. We are also afflicted in this province by
teenage pregnancies. Children should not be parents when they are supposed to
be children themselves.
New Morality
This is where the Citizens Charter seeks to help us re-establish our
communities and build individuals who will lead the growth of KwaZulu-Natal. In
taking leading positions in KwaZulu-Natal, this new young citizen will also be
leading the country and the rest of Africa. Like Oliver Tambo said, "A society
that does not invest in its youth does not deserve its future."
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
14 June 2007
Source: SAPA
