subscribe Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Subscribe now
Unemployed graduates vent their frustration outside East London City Hall. Picture: ALAN EASON/DAILY DISPATCH
Unemployed graduates vent their frustration outside East London City Hall. Picture: ALAN EASON/DAILY DISPATCH

The prosperous SA we all long for remains a deferred dream as long as young people are not involved in shaping its future. I’m worried about the youth leadership turning a blind eye to issues of youth development, preferring to be involved in politics and talk shows.

Youth bodies such as the National Youth Development Agency and SA Youth Council are tasked to develop the youth, but do little if anything. Instead the leadership live in luxury while the youth suffer. The unity government must monitor and evaluate these youth institutions because they pump in millions of rand, supposedly to develop our young people but in reality it is nothing more than a looting spree of the governing elite.

The minister in the presidency should answer the following questions:

  • In what specific ways is the new government monitoring and evaluating youth institutions such as the National Youth Development Agency and the SA Youth Council?
  • Have these institutions achieved their strategic objectives over the past five years?
  • Has an evaluation been done regarding whether they have made, or are likely to make, the impact necessary to improve access to opportunities and the daily lives of the youth?

The GNU must ensure the youth development agenda tops its list of priorities. SA can ill afford a repeat of the July 2021 unrest. Action is required now, while our youths are still patient. The dangers implicit in a youth without hope are obvious.

Thulani Dasa
Khayelitsha

JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.

subscribe Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Subscribe now

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.