Deputy Minister for Public Service and Administration Hon Ms Ayanda Dlodlo, MP at the Youth Outreach Programme, Theronsville Civic Centre, Hessequa Local Municipality, Western Cape
Programme Director
Mayor of Hessequa Local Municipality, Ms Emor Nel
Member of the Provincial Legislature, Mr Cameroon Dugmore
All Councillors of the Hessequa Local Municipality
Members of the Faith Based Organisations and All Civil Society represented today.
Officials from all the participating departments and agencies
Justin de Swardt; a patriotic young man all the way from Gauteng, who is here today to support the work of government.
The Enthusiastic Youth of Hessequa
Ladies and gentlemen
Good Morning
The freshness, vigour and spirit of the youth provides promise for a better future for any nation. Today we gather in this month dedicated to the youth in a quest to share opportunities that will unlock South Africa’s future.
As such an apt theme has been adopted on “Youth Moving South Africa Forward”. It is because throughout revolutions past, we have witnessed how the youth have been central engineers for social transformation.
So as we gather today, we not only look back in awe of the courage and resilience of past youth generations, but we draw parallels with the struggles faced by our contemporary youth, the millennials, mapping out a path for a prosperous South Africa led by this youth.
Today we cultivate and nurture our country’s future leadership, seeking to build every member of the youth within Hessequa, within and outside the borders of this region and in every single corner of this beautiful country of ours.
Not just about exhibitions and presentations, today calls for a dynamic change in our mindset and in the manner in which we do things. The question we need to concern ourselves with is how we can do things differently as a collective, how as members of the youth, you can embrace the numerous opportunities available to you.
We know for example, that unemployment is a huge challenge facing the youth. We therefore need to preoccupy ourselves with how we respond to this challenge, how the youth can capitalise on the opportunities available to develop communities, run sustainable businesses and create further employment opportunities.One undeniable phenomenon the world over is the veracity with which millennials, or the Y-Generation as also known, are simply revolutionising life as we know it. Through an innovative approach towards modern day complexities, it is this next generation of leaders that provide cutting-edge ideas that are essential for future social and economic change.
The beauty about those who fall within this generation is their innate entrepreneurial thirst, their tech savviness and idealism which makes this world their oyster. Bold in taking risks and wanting to change the world, it is the choices you will make today, the opportunities you will seize that will tackle the pressing challenges and help bring about transformative change in the social and corporate sectors.
Today therefore begs each and every single one of you to take on the baton passed from previous generations and run the best possible race ever, and this will ensure the prosperity of our nation.
When they took to the streets on June 16, 1976; it was out of a sheer love, dedication and a sense of patriotism that the youth fought for opportunities that would advance their people for generations to come.
Fighting for quality education, the youth of 1976 understood how education could radically transform their lives. They fought for the doors of learning and culture to be opened to them too, as previously resolved in the Freedom Charter.
The generation of 1976 fought for an equitable education, one that would through its transformative power light up their journey towards a better life. This is a life we seek for you gathered here today.
The Constitution of South Africa speaks of the right of the youth to access basic education and further education, an education that will enable learners to fit into the economy and the higher education sphere. South Africa will never be able to realise its development goals as long the majority of its young people are excluded from accessing good quality basic and tertiary education.
We need for the education system to produce youth that will fit comfortably into the economic developmental plans of government. This education needs to be one that develops our youth to explore all opportunities available to them, such as opportunities as entrepreneurs and not solely limit them to job seekers.
Numerous opportunities are available to the youth today owing directly to the sacrifices and selflessness of past generations. Today we draw inspiration from the resolve, the zeal and the tenacity of our young people, which we have witnessed over previous generations.
We are presented with a set of complexities for our young people which I will not delve in, and to which numerous interventions are required to capacitate youth to face these head-on. Our youth simply have a different battle to wage.
The type of marginalisation faced by youth necessitates targeted interventions that enable young people’s active participation and engagement in both the society and the economy.
Creating economic opportunities that speak to the young people, government has put in place a number of programs that holistically respond to challenges faced by the youth, and that is what we are showcasing today.
Government has formed institutions designed to address the pressing issues of the youth, with the National Youth Policy launched in January 2015 to unleash the potential of your young people.
Through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, government provides access to tertiary education to numerous youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Aside from this scheme, various government departments offer study bursaries to students who perform well and need funds to study. Most of these departments are at provincial government level and offer bursaries in line with the scope of their work.
As a contribution towards the development of workplace experience and skills of unemployed youth, the National School of Government, which is an entity under the Ministry for Public Service and Administration, continues to place unemployed graduates in its internship programme.
A range of support programmes and strategies to empower youth in the various sectors such as the Mzansi Golden Economy Strategy, which comprises a number of high impact programmes targeting youth and women in the arts have also been established.
For rural youth, the National Rural Youth Service Corps programme enhances skills development by providing unemployed youth with opportunities to work in their communities and to be trained to provide the necessary services for local socio-economic development. The agricultural sphere holds untold opportunities for youth. Agriculture is a key focus of the National Development Plan precisely because of its potential to create jobs. The Agricultural Sector Education Training Authority, is currently being repositioned to attract more young people into the sector, to train and capacitate them as the sector works towards meeting the target of creating a million jobs by 2030.
Through public private partnerships, we continue to witness the participation of responsible corporates that have also assumed an active role in empowering the youth.
We are joined by a number of stakeholders that include the National Development Agency, Petro SA, the South African Social Security Agency, the Small Enterprise Development Agency, the Small Enterprise Funding Agency, the Department of Labour, the Public Sector Education and Training Authority, the Local Government Seta amongst other exhibitors, who have a mandate to develop you. Positioning the public service as a career of choice, the whole portfolio of the Department of Public Service and Administration is also present today, and that includes the NSG and the CPSI. I have received commitment from these Stakeholders that this will not be the last time they come to Hessequa. They will work together with the DPSA to ensure that change and growth envisaged for this community is indeed realized.
As a collective we are here to remind you that you hold the key to unlocking South Africa’s future, and it is in you that our future lies.
The young heroes of Hessequa have conquered and so can you
Dyan Buse
Paralympian who won gold and silver medals in the London’s Paralympics; Reagan Taute, who was the first South African to be elected as the President for the UNESCO League of Nations 2011, hosted in the Ukraine. It is indeed possible.
This beautiful country has been delivered to us for our growth and for our prosperity. Out of a great love for our nation, the onus is now upon each one gathered here today to exhaust all avenues available to revolutionise ourselves and to revolutionise our country.
I thank you.
