Honourable Minister Collins Chabane and ministers present today
Members of Parliament
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Honourable Premier DD Mabuza
Members of the Executive Council (MECs)
Mayors
Members of the NYDA Board and chief executive officer
Traditional leadership
Leaders of faith based organisations (FBOs)
Leaders from different youth organisations
Distinguished guests and comrades
The vibrant youth of South Africa
Ours was never a struggle fought in vain, but one that was premised on the spirit of human resilience and an unwavering quest for freedom and emancipation.
When those who came before us laid down their vision for a free and emancipated South Africa, they did so with passion and determination to ensure that freedom was achieved in their lifetime.
The youth of our country and OR Tambo's young lions led a spirited campaign and became the lifeblood of our heroic struggles.
As we march forward, crafting a sustainable future for those that will come after us, we are committed to rise to the occasion and not be found wanting in the pursuit of the ideal of youth development and emancipation.
As we rededicate ourselves to the ideals of those that came before us, to place youth development at the centre of South Africa's developmental agenda, we must pay homage to their relentless struggles and outstanding foresight.
The 1976 generation and what came to pass on that fateful day forever altered the political landscape of our nation. Young people took charge of their destiny and became custodians of their own future.
On 6 April 2010, we commemorated the 31st anniversary of the slaying of the young hero, Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, who was murdered by the apartheid government in 1979, following what was clearly a sham trial with its conclusion pre-ordained.
We continue to commemorate the tragic passing on of this gallant fighter, because to us as the youth of a free and democratic South Africa; he represents the many unsung heroes and heroines of our liberation struggle, who sacrificed their lives so we can be free.
On this day at 08h00 on 16 June 1976, Tsietsi Mashinini interrupted the school assembly to lead the first group of students out of the gates and on the march that started the Soweto uprising. They were protesting the use of Afrikaans in schools.
A reward was posted for his capture and one afternoon security police checked every student leaving the grounds. Mashinini, who was a Prefect at Morris Isaacson, escaped detection by dressing up as a girl. After the march he never slept at home again and fled the country joining other young people already in hiding. We are very happy that our own government today acknowledges these heroes and heroines.
In Soweto today our government is unveiling the statue of Tsietsi Mashinini which will remain as the symbol of our remembrance for generations to come.
Over the years, we have continued to commemorate this day because it serves as a grim reminder of what must never come to pass again in our beautiful land; brutality that must never be meted out by one South African on another.
16 June 2010 marks the 34th anniversary of the Soweto and related uprisings of 1976. This year's commemoration especially takes place within the context of the first anniversary of the establishment of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
It is further historic because South Africa is hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup, a first on the African soil. The United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Youth, and the African Union has proclaimed 2009 to 2019 to be the decade of youth development.
South Africa will host the World Youth festival and students from 13 to 21 December. Moreover, it is historic because Bafana-Bafana is preparing for its victory over Uruguay at Loftus Stadium in the City of Tshwane this evening.
The establishment of the National Youth Development Agency as a successor to the National Youth Commission (NYC), Umsobomvu Youth Fund and provincial Youth Commissions must be celebrated as a major milestone in our quest for sustainable youth development interventions.
We are under illusion about the daunting challenges that lie ahead and the expectations of our Youth. We dare not fail them in ensuring that the ideal of a better life will not remain a pipe dream, but a living reality for all people of South Africa.
The President of the Republic bestowed on us the honour to lead this prestigious institution and transform the lives of our youth for the better. Our mandate is clear: accelerate interventions of youth development and ensure that our youth are both custodians and beneficiaries of our democracy.
On 6 February 2009, the President of the Republic brought into effect a ground breaking piece of legislation that has not only ushered in a more cohesive and integrated approach to youth development, but one that promises mass mobilisation of youth development interventions and a faster pace of service delivery in this regard.
The National Youth Development Act of 2008 closes a chapter on the national and provincial Youth Commissions alongside Umsobomvu Youth Fund, and ushers in a new era that builds on the successes of earlier interventions with a more focused and integrated approach.
This integrated approach is underpinned by a new sense of urgency to ensure that South Africa's youth is an integral part of its socio-political and socio-economic advancement.
The most important feature of the NYDA will be its ability to integrate youth development interventions are cross-cutting, both vertically and horizontally. The institution will exist as a single integrated whole in all spheres of government and must be able to exert influence on the public sector, the private sector and civil society.
This will be achieved through the instruments it will have at its disposal to hold institutions in these sectors accountable for their interventions in advancing youth development.
On an annual basis, the NYDA will determine and publish National Youth Development priorities, which must be implemented by all organs of state, the private sector and civil society organisations concerned with youth development.
All these sectors will be required to submit reports to the NYDA reporting on how they have implemented these priorities and what progress has been made. These priorities will therefore serve as a yardstick to measure the extent to which the nation is making progress on youth development.
In return, the NYDA will provide guidance, and support to all initiatives aimed at advancing youth development across sectors and spheres of government. The most obvious outcome of this thrust is the qualitative improvement of the lives of young persons and their full integration in the socio-political and socio-economic life of South Africa.
Since today also marks our first anniversary as the NYDA, it is important that I reflect on some of the key strides that the NYDA has made. These include:
1. Economic participation
We have disbursed 10 021 microfinance loans worth R28.8 million and small and medium enterprise loans valued at over R24.6 million.
We have issued 4 224 business consultancy services vouchers worth over R33 million.
We have assisted young entrepreneurs to access business opportunities worth R77.6 million.
A total of 33 008 jobs were created for young people by economic participation programmes of the NYDA.
Implemented the Buy Youth campaign where we link youth entrepreneurs with procurement and other opportunities from the established business sector.
2. Education and skills development
A total of 39 813 beneficiaries were enrolled in skills development and community service for the current year financial year.
These include 16 093 young people enrolled into a number of National Youth Service projects. NYS projects are projects where young people receive training while they provide essential community services such as constructing roads, providing home based care services and building houses.
Most recently in this financial year, young volunteers built 76 houses (symbolising the year, 1976) for indigent families in Ivory Park, Gauteng as part of the Youth Month celebrations.
There is a plan to build 34 houses (symbolising 34 years since 1976) in Mpumalanga and refurbish selected schools in all nine provinces during Youth Month. We thank the Department of Human Settlements for this partnership.
We are pleased that the Department of Defence and Military Veterans have embraced the expansion of the National Youth Service programme.
NYDA commits to working with these departments and many other departments to design relevant service programmes ensuring that it meets the criteria for NYS and that it provides tangible opportunities for skills development. NYDA also challenges other government departments to commit to expanding service programmes.
3. Information services and communications
In his State of the Nation Address, President Jacob Zuma called on the NYDA to establish its structures throughout the country. The NYDA is already responding to the call by the president.
We have advertised posts in all nine provinces for the establishment of provincial advisory boards. The provincial advisory boards should be up and running within the next three months.
Again, the NYDA seeks to have youth advisory centres in all the 283 municipalities, to improve our accessibility especially in the utmost rural areas in the country.
Thus far, we have 134 operational centres which have been visited by over 152 000 (530 390 including UYF statistics) young people. These young people have received guidance and information.
Recently we have launched an office in the Inquza Hill municipality, in the town of Flagstaff (Eastern Cape). In the coming months we will opening offices in Welkom, Tzaneen and Richards Bay offering access to NYDA products and services.
The NYDA needs financial resources and buy-in from municipalities to make this happen; most of them have already demonstrated a keen interest. In return the NYDA will provide technical support toward the implementation and deployment of the organisation's products and services.
Over 27 000 youth have received guidance and advise via our call centre.
4. Policy, lobby and advocacy
The NYDA has achieved the following to advocate and lobby for mainstreaming and integration of youth services:
We have developed guidelines on the establishment of youth directorates in government departments. It is through these youth directorates that youth development will be coordinated and monitored in each department.
This is what we want to see replicated at provincial and local level to ensure that there is seamless mainstreaming and integration of youth development.
We are in frequent engagements with youth stakeholders, including youth formations in civil society structures, the private sector and the public sector.
We continue to make formal submissions into policy processes initiated by other government departments this being to ensure that youth development is integrated even in policies of government.
We appreciate the country's step in ratifying the African Youth Charter, subsequently we have printed 20 100 copies, some of which is printed in Braille. These copies have been distributed and popularised through various platforms of engagement.
We continue to offer support at local government ensuring that various municipalities establish youth councils and participate in integrated development plan processes.
As per the provisions of the act, we are now in the process of finalising the integrated youth development strategy and the guidelines for the implementation of the youth policy.
5. Research, monitoring and evaluation
The NYDA has completed seven research studies that will inform the planning and implementation of programmes, in addition there were 14 projects and programmes evaluations and baseline studies that have been completed to measure the outcomes and impact of our programmes.
This continuous monitoring of our programmes allows us to be responsive to the Effective and Efficient Resource Management
52 percent of our staff members have undergone training to ensure that they always remain relevant. The level of customer satisfaction measured from the branch clients survey conducted by the operations support division is 60.9 percent whilst the level of complaints have decreased by 38 percent.
In conclusion
We have worked hard in the past year to ensure that our youth is supported to take advantage of today's opportunities and is integrated into the mainstream economy.
Where we have encountered challenges we have adapted our programmes and sourced more partnerships to supplement our funding. We are confident that government will continue to support us and avail the necessary resources to take our programmes to scale.
I thank you and good luck Bafana-Bafana! Shapa Bafana shapa!
