development
9 February 2007
The National Youth Commission (NYC) welcomes the pronouncements to
accelerate youth development made by President Thabo Mbeki in the State of the
Nation Address (SONA) 2007.
The following are some of the areas the NYC has noted and welcomes from the
speech:
* The speeding up of the skills development process, particularly the
expansion of the National Youth Service (NYS) Programme. The buy-in and
commitment from various role-players including the 18 government departments
mentioned by the President will ensure that more youth are mobilised to
participate in the programme. The NYC, as it has performed towards the
attainment and surpassing of the 10 000 mark set for 2006, will continue to
convene government departments, including Umsobomvu Youth Fund, to drive the
rollout of this programme towards achieving the set target of 20 000 NYS
participants and 30 000 young volunteers into the community development
initiatives.
* The creation of permanent jobs in the rollout of the Expanded Public Works
Programme is applauded by the youth sector. More young people will benefit
through this national programme as opportunities of self-employment and
small/micro-enterprises will be created. The integration of the founding
pillars of the NYS which are service, structured learning and the creation of
exit opportunities will be greatly encouraged and monitored by the NYC. This
commitment by government directly contributes towards the reduction of
unemployment among young people as 5 000 young people are targeted in this
current financial year.
* The concrete pronouncement on the recapitalisation of the Further
Education and Training (FET) colleges which has created the possibility to
"significantly expand the number of available artisans" is also applauded. The
NYC commits to work with all relevant stakeholders to mobilise our youth in
order to inform them of the significance of the artisan skills highly demanded
for our economic growth. The NYC notes with great appreciation the additional
resources to be provided towards the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills
Acquisition in order to accelerate its work on skills development among our
youth including this intervention through FET colleges.
* The intensification of the integration of youth development into the
mainstream of government work, including youth co-operatives, is also noted.
Such integration refers to the rollout of initiatives which contribute towards
the overall improvement of the quality of life of young people, including the
provision of housing, health, transport, economic participation opportunities
etc. Required in this instance, is a complete and concrete buy-in from
Government Clusters, Ministers and Members of the Executive Council and other
strategic co-ordinating forces of Government including the Presidential
Co-ordinating Council.
The NYC has noted the concerns raised in the speech, especially the state
and capacity of our local government machinery. The implication, where there
are so many vacancies at senior management level, is that the unleashing of the
youth development agenda will still be met with challenges. The NYC is
optimistic, however, that the interventions put in place will be effective
enough to capacitate local government authorities to accelerate the national
service delivery programme. Furthermore, the NYC commits to deepen its
interaction with the Department of Provincial Affairs and Local Government
towards the setting up of local youth desks and establishment of local youth
centres in our municipalities throughout the country.
As far as the 2010 FIFA World Cup is concerned, the NYC will continue to
engage the Local Organising Committee to ensure that youth also participate and
benefit in the national and continental effort to hold a successful
international soccer tournament on the African soil.
The NYC remains optimistic that the pronouncements by the President on youth
development will also find concrete expression in the national development
programme 2007 when the Minister of Finance "further elaborate(s) on these
issues in the Budget Speech" on 21 February 2007.
The Chairpersons' Forum Lekgotla, NYC convened meeting all 9 Chairpersons of
Provincial Youth Commissions, will meet towards the end of February to further
interrogate the President's speech and align it with provincial and local youth
development imperatives. A national programme will emerge from the Lekgotla,
outlining the contribution of South Africa's youth in achieving the set targets
of the SONA 2007.
Enquires:
Monde Mkalipi
Tel: (012) 309 7800
Fax: (012) 324 4759
Cell: 082 575 3976
Issued by: National Youth Commission
9 February 2007
