Keynote address by Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, MP, at the National Youth Service Roadshow – Ladysmith
Thank you Programme Director,
Our gracious hosts, the Uthukela District Mayor His Worship Inkosi NB Shabalala and the Alfred Duma Local Municipality Mayor Honourable ZJ Sibisi
Representatives from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), Representatives from civil society, development partners, private sector stakeholders,
Community and Traditional leaders, members of the media, And most importantly, the youth of Ladysmith,
Sanibonani!
It is with immense honour, deep respect, and unwavering hope that I stand before you today in the uThukela District of KwaZulu-Natal, as we gather for this impactful instalment of the National Youth Service Roadshow, under the bold and fitting theme: “Youth on the Move.”
This is not just another themed government programme. It is a declaration of intent, a statement of belief, and a bold movement to reshape the youth development landscape of our country.
We are gathered here not only to reflect on progress but to ignite action and to affirm that the youth of South Africa, in their diversity, are not passive recipients of development as they are the architects of our democratic future.
1. The Urgency: Youth Unemployment and the NEET Crisis
I must begin by confronting the hard truth: Youth unemployment remains one of the most pressing and complex challenges facing our country.
According to recent statistics from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, over 60% of unemployed South Africans are young people. Even more alarming is that a significant proportion of our youth fall into the NEET category – not in employment, not in education, and not in training.
It is unfortunate that behind these numbers are real lives. Young women and men in rural villages, in townships, in informal settlements who carry the potential, the talent, and the desire to succeed but are denied the opportunities to do so.
This is not just an economic issue. It is a matter of dignity, justice, and nation-building.
Through the National Youth Development Agency (NYSA), working in alignment with the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities and all government departments, we are putting forward a deliberate strategy to pull our young people out of despair and into meaningful participation in the economy and society.
Our plan is clear:
- To create structured pathways that transition young people from dependency to opportunity.
- To provide access to accredited skills training, civic leadership, and workplace exposure.
- To empower youth to lead in their own communities through infrastructure, social services, and green economy initiatives.
We are not here to make promises. We are here to deliver on the constitutional right of every young person to reach their full potential.
2. Government Investment in Youth Development: A Comprehensive Overview
As we chart the course for youth empowerment, it is important to recognise the significant investment our government is making to uplift young people across all spheres of life.
In the 2025/26 financial year alone, over R2 trillion has been allocated across key sectors that directly support youth development.
- Education and Skills Development: A total of R508.7 billion has been committed to building a knowledgeable and capable youth. This includes support for basic education, universities through NSFAS, TVET colleges, and continuous skills development.
- Healthcare: R298.9 billion has been allocated to ensure that young people have access to quality healthcare, including primary health services and mental health support.
- Social Development: R422.3 billion will go towards supporting young people through child support grants, disability and foster care grants, and the Social Relief of Distress grant.
- Community Development: R286.6 billion is being invested in infrastructure that affects young people’s daily lives—public transport, housing, and local municipal services.
- Economic Development and Jobs: Government has allocated R289.8 billion to economic growth and job creation, including R23.7 billion for programmes like the Presidential Employment Stimulus, which has already created over 2 million opportunities, with more than 84% going to young people.
These investments are not only about support, they underscore our drive toward building pathways for youth to thrive as active participants, innovators, and job creators in the South African economy.
3. Infrastructure as a Driver of Youth Economic Participation
We understand that for young people to be economically active, there must be economic activity around them. That is why infrastructure development is not just about bricks and mortar, it is about hope and jobs.
We must ensure that infrastructure programmes at the national, provincial, and municipal levels are designed with youth inclusion in mind.
Imagine a South Africa where every road, school, clinic, and housing project employs local youth.
Through Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating mechanisms, the District Development Model, and collaborations with public works and SETAs, we are rolling out programmes that:
- Prioritise youth for technical skills development and apprenticeship placements.
- Mobilise youth cooperatives and construction SMMEs for public sector projects.
- Establish infrastructure maintenance brigades, run by trained and certified young people.
We should have no infrastructure project in any community without youth participation being a fundamental requirement.
We need all the spheres of government in order to walk the talk in so far as ensuring that all young people have access to participate meaningfully in the economy.
3. Celebrating Success: The Impact of NYDA and National Youth Service
In our path toward progress, we must also acknowledge and celebrate the strides already made.
The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) continues to be a beacon of hope for many young South Africans. Through a mix of skills, funding, mentorship, and enterprise support, the NYDA is changing lives.
To date:
- Over 1.2 million young people have been supported through NYDA initiatives over the last three years.
- More than 40,000 young people have received grant funding to start and grow small businesses.
- Thousands more have accessed career guidance, bursary support, and skills development opportunities via platforms like YouthMobi, Job Preparedness Bootcamps, and the National Pathway Management Network.
Additionally, the SANDF-led National Youth Service continues to instil discipline, patriotism, and skills in our youth through training camps, civic engagement, and leadership development.
Young people who will complete the programme will emerge with a new sense of purpose, and in many cases, find employment or pursue higher education with greater confidence and direction.
These are living examples of what happens when government, in collaboration with its partners, progressively invests intentionally and consistently in the development of young people.
4. Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Youth as Job Creators
If we are to defeat unemployment, we must think differently. We must move from preparing youth to seek jobs, to empowering youth to create them.
South Africa’s youth are dynamic, creative, and digitally savvy. The rise of entrepreneurship is not a trend, it is a solution that will enable us to address the youth unemployment crisis.
We are seeing a new wave of techpreneurs, agripreneurs, creative entrepreneurs, and green economy innovators who are starting businesses that not only uplift themselves but employ others.
Government, through the NYDA, SEDA, IDC, and the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, is committed to:
- Expanding access to start-up funding and micro-grants for youth- owned businesses.
- Establishing innovation hubs and incubation centres in underserved communities.
- Supporting entrepreneurship training as early as high school and TVET levels.
We want to build a future where a young person with an idea does not have to beg for a job but is empowered to build an enterprise that creates many.
We must break the mindset that entrepreneurship is only for the few. Every young South African should see entrepreneurship as a viable and supported pathway to changing their material conditions.
5. Call to Action: Local Government Must Drive Local Economic Development
As I conclude, I want to speak directly to our leaders in local and district municipalities.
You are the frontline of youth development. You are closest to the material conditions of young people and therefore, you must be closest to the solution.
Local economic development must no longer be treated as a side programme. It must be at the centre of municipal strategy.
I am calling on municipalities across KwaZulu-Natal and beyond to:
- Prioritise youth-targeted programmes in their Integrated Development Plans (IDPs).
- Allocate procurement quotas to youth-owned enterprises and cooperatives.
- Open up local public works projects, learnerships, and internships to local youth.
- Strengthen partnerships with the NYDA and other youth entities to establish Youth Offices at municipal level that are fully functional and accessible.
The time for consultation is over. The time for implementation is now.
“Youth on the Move” must be more than just a theme. To the youth here today, let me say this:
Your energy is unmatched. Your creativity is boundless. Your dreams are valid.
But your future will not be handed to you, it must be built by you, with us walking beside you. You are not passengers in the journey of this country. You are the co-drivers.
Youth on the Move is a call to action for youth to rise beyond your circumstances, seize the opportunities available and for all youth to lead, to innovate, and to serve.
Let us move, together, with purpose and power and build a South Africa where no young person is left behind, where every township and village is a hub of youth-led enterprise, and where the dreams of our youth become the destiny of our nation.
Ngiyabonga!
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