The Minister of Social Development, Ms Dina Pule, has implored the youth never to give up, but instead to invest their energies in making a difference for the country and future generations.
Minister Pule made these remarks while addressing the first day of a three-day Youth Summit currently underway at Orion Safari Lodge in Rustenburg, North West.
“Even when you fall due to social ills and other challenges, you must never give up but keep trying until you make things right. Your destiny is not determined by your current circumstances, but by how you rise to greater heights,” said Minister Pule.
Addressing the youth, the CEO of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), Mr Themba Matlou, outlined that SASSA seeks to move young people from dependency to becoming contributors to the main economy.
This, he said, can be achieved when young people use their R370 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant to start businesses.
Youth-led cooperatives should be established and led by young people, as there are many opportunities, including school uniform projects that can be supported by SASSA.
Under the theme “Economic Uprising for the Next 50 Years: Partnerships for Skills, Jobs, and Youth Development”, the Youth Summit encouraged young people to channel their energies into meaningful efforts aimed at empowering themselves by taking advantage of opportunities available to them.
Over the next two days, participants will be exposed to various skills and knowledge to empower them.
They were also encouraged to shape their own future by networking and visiting exhibition stands for their personal and professional development.
The Chief Director responsible for Youth Development in the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Dr Bernice Hlagala, said that, in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the 1976 Youth, the current generation must use this Summit to draw positive lessons and rise above challenges such as mental health issues, teenage pregnancy and high unemployment.
Dr Hlagala also encouraged young people to pursue scarce skills in fields including the ocean economy, engineering, construction and manufacturing.
This year, South Africa commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1976 youth uprising, during which young people courageously protested against the compulsory use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools.
Some of these young people sacrificed their lives to plant and nurture the seeds of freedom that culminated in South Africa's historic democracy in 1994.
Aimed at building partnerships by unlocking economic potential and addressing persistent inequalities and social ills, the Summit provides participants with opportunities to learn various skills, including entrepreneurship, skills development and education.
One of the beneficiaries of the INDLELA Youth Partnership, which is funded by the German Development Bank, Mr Tebogo Mogatle from North West, encouraged his peers to stand up and work with their own hands.
Tebogo is a young entrepreneur who started a small business and has employed three people.
Mr Buhle Xulu from KwaZulu-Natal said he was able to register the Difference Makers Youth Organisation.
Through soft skills training, he enrolled in a Property Maintenance Programme and later focused on digital skills development, through which he trained more than 300 people.
Through the National Youth Development Agency, he was also able to represent South African youth in Shanghai, China.
Enquiries:
Ms Sandy Godlwana
Cell: 082 678 5634
E-mail: SandyG@dsd.gov.za
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