This is according to President Jacob Zuma, while speaking at the inaugural Presidential Indaba on Youth Jobs and Skills on March 2, at the Birchwood Hotel, in Boksburg.
Approximately 500 young people from all nine provinces gathered from February 28 to March 2 for the Indaba, which was organised in partnership with the Presidency, National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), state-owned entities and various government departments.
The Indaba provided a platform for young people to empower themselves with the tools available to obtain employment and develop appropriate skills.
Zuma mentioned how in April last year, the country reached an important milestone when the Youth Employment Accord was signed in Soweto.
The Accord was a commitment by civil society, government, labour, business and the youth movement to raise the levels of youth in jobs, training and education, as well as support youth-owned enterprises and cooperatives.
“In the nine months since the adoption of the Youth Employment Accord, youth employment grew strongly,” said Zuma.
Zuma said South Africa could only achieve economic emancipation by investing in education and youth development programmes.
“In fact, 420 000 new jobs have been created for the youth, mainly in construction, linked to our National Infrastructure Plan, the trade sector, government programmes, business services, transport and communication.”
Zuma said that the Accord has also promoted the creation of internship opportunities for the youth in national departments, municipalities and state-owned enterprises.
The National Development Plan (NDP), which outlines the type of society the government envisage, and the type of society with an economy that is growing and which creates jobs, will according to Zuma, continue creating work for the youth.
“From this year, the policies of government will be guided by the NDP, as soon as we emerge from the elections and start a new government.”
The NDP includes the Industrial Policy Action Plan, which will new industrialists over the next five years, and the New Growth Path, which outlines six job drivers such as agriculture, tourism, the green economy, infrastructure development, manufacturing and mining.
Zuma urged the youth to look into these sectors when considering careers or starting businesses.
In addition, during March, the government will be launching the new Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund, run by the National Youth Development Agency.
This is a R10-m fund designed to provide financial support to youth primarily in rural areas.
To further advance Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) and affirmative action policies, the Presidency have amended the BBBEE Act and the Employment Equity Act.
These should assist the country to diversify the ownership, control the management of the economy, and open more opportunities for black people, women, the youth and persons with disability.
Zuma said that even though the government knows that the formal economy will not be able to grow fast enough to create the numbers of jobs needed for the youth, due to the global economic slowdown, the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in 2004 was established to help boost the economy.
“Phase two of the EPWP was launched in April 2009 and has been very successful. Between April 2009 and September 2013, we have created 3.7-million work opportunities. More importantly, the programme easily reached its target for women and youth, with 54 per cent women and 50 per cent of youth having benefited from the programme.
“We are happy too that more municipalities are implementing the EPWP. To date, 277 out of 278 municipalities have signed protocol agreements, committing them to achieve their EPWP targets.”
Zuma cautioned that there remains many challenges for the youth.
“You must apply your minds in how you are going to contribute to building an inclusive economy that will create more opportunities for the youth and which will reflect the demographics of the country.
“You cannot leave this responsibility to government and the private sector alone.
“We want to urge you (the youth) to accelerate the fight against drug and substance abuse which are tearing some communities apart. We need our young people to live healthy lifestyles free of these substances.
“Youth development and empowerment is critical to the success of our democracy. The Youth Employment Accord is our joint vision, our joint call to action. It is important that we are working together to implement it.”
