(Budget vote debate in Parliament: Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities)
The failures of the Department tasked with promoting the interests of women, the youth and persons with disabilities are no secret. These failures include, among other things, initiatives to combat gender violence.
The money wasted by the Department and its entities can be put to much better use for the benefit of all South Africans.
Truth be told, there would be no need for this Department if the government were successful in ensuring true equality for women, the youth and persons with disabilities.
When the spotlight falls on the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), it is interesting to note that the Agency frequently makes the headlines, unfortunately, it is usually for all the wrong reasons.
South Africa had the highest youth unemployment rate in the whole world even before the Covid-19 pandemic. According to projections made by Trading Economics, this figure is expected to rise to 62% by the end of the current quarter and as high as 63% over the next twelve months.
There are no words to describe the frustration with this shocking and tragic situation.
Youth unemployment in South Africa is even higher than in countries where civil war is raging. Despite the fact that South Africa has a special ministry and a National Youth Development Agency tasked with promoting the youth and their participation in the economy.
Large sums of money are earmarked to advance the interests of the youth, but the majority of young people do not benefit from it. Over the medium term, the government has allocated R762 million to get young people involved in the labour market, R230 million from the current growth to involve the youth in community projects and R207 million for programmes aimed at providing work.
NYDA is supposed to provide support services to help the youth gain direct access to the labour market and to equip them with the necessary skills. The Agency is also supposed to provide financial and other relevant support to young people, especially in light of the fact that more than 40% of NYDA's annual budget is spent on personnel compensation.
NYDA's contribution to youth development thus far can at best be described as a total failure surrounded by the usual allegations of irregularities with the provision of aid.
The reason for this is that NYDA is actually no more than an extension of the ANC and a branch of the ruling party's Youth League where mismanagement and corruption are at the order of the day. Only the cadres' children benefit.
The irregularities and squandering go as far back as 2010 when R100 million was spent on a so-called youth concert while there is apparently not enough money to help the majority of young people obtain a higher education.
The only thing that NYDA has succeeded in is promoting dishonesty and criminality. The Agency's former chairperson, Andile Lungisa, offers a shining example. Lungisa, who later served as an ANC councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay, committed certain crimes and was even expelled from the ANC – something that does not happen easily. The very same Lungisa is also the one who orchestrated the R100 million youth festival.
The only remedy for the extensive corruption, fraud and mismanagement of NYDA, which is in reality just an ANC cadre school, is to get rid of it as soon as possible.
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