The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) will approach the Press Ombudsman following yet another sensational, senseless and baseless story published by the Sowetan newspaper on 20 March 2013, titled “Paid R2.4 million to eat and sleep.”
Also published on the Sowetan front page is a photo of NYDA CEO Steven Ngubeni, captioned “disorganised.” It has become fashionable to unnecessarily attack the NYDA and its leadership just to sensationalise information in the interest of selling papers. It is hard to comprehend how alleged “logistical problems” at a conference of the South African Youth Council (SAYC) could warrant an attack on the NYDA and labelling of its leadership.
It is clear from the article that the reporter’s feeble presentation of information is baseless and relies on common hear says and an uncontrollable addiction to sensationalism. This is also evident in the fact that the Sowetan newspaper could not resist linking the SAYC conference to the 2010 World Festival of Youth and Students which in its self was unnecessarily sensationalised by media reports based on two kissing youth. While the NYDA respects the newspapers right to collect and publish information, such must at all times be done in a factual and accurate manner.
The Sowetan newspaper had sent a list of questions to the NYDA relating to the SAYC conference. It is disturbing to note that the thrust and the entire content of the NYDA response to the questions by the Sowetan journalist were disregarded in the final article.
Even more disturbing is that it seems, the Sowetan newspaper chose to ignore glaring facts about the SAYC-TGA and instead directed the focus of the article on the NYDA. Subsequent to its conference SAYC issued a statement giving a brief account of its conference proceedings, including a focus on discussions, this has also been ignored by the Sowetan Newspaper.
The NYDA has reiterated that it cannot speak on behalf of the South African Youth Council, thus we indicated that we will wait for the report and an account from SAYC, as we would from any other funded youth formation. The NYDA has an MOA with SAYC, purely because SAYC represents all the youth formations in the country to support them in their activities and initiatives which are directed at youth development and participation and therefore in this way capacitating civil society in advancing youth development.
Therefore it cannot be wrong for the NYDA to support the collective of youth formations which includes the DA youth, ANC Youth League, SASCO, COSAS, Youth led NGO’s etc. The NYDA did not organise the SAYC-TGA but SAYC did. We simply provided funding on the basis of a convincing project proposal. How then, do these allegations in relation to the failure and challenges of the conference suggest a “disorganised” tagging on the leadership of the NYDA?
For media enquiries contact:
Siyabonga Magadla
Tel: 083 686 9016
