WATCH: Youth dialogue with young people at Gold Reef City

The Gauteng Department of Social Development (DSD), through the Sustainable Livelihood and Youth Development, hosted a youth dialogue with young people at the Gold Reef City Hotel on June 8.

The event was attended among others by MEC for Social Development Morakane Mosupyoe and Gauteng Premier David Makhura.

Youth from different regions shared the stage presenting their businesses, including successes and challenges. The main objective of the dialogue was to empower young people with information on various skills development opportunities and to engage on issues that affect them.

The department has several youth empowerment programmes. These include skills development programmes aimed at up-skilling youth in different industries to be self-reliant and change agents within their communities and households.

Philisile Sibiya under the department’s Welfare to Work programme recently graduated from the Beauty Hub Academy at The Glen with hairdressing and beauty. She said her hair business is a career for her. “The school helped me a lot. And I thank the department for giving me this opportunity. As young people, we need to push ourselves to achieve the best.

“Also during Covid-19, my business suffered a lot as we stopped working. However, we soldiered on to be where we are today. I want to expand and not concentrate only on hair, if I can include spa treatments and other beauty accessories, I would have achieved more because I will be able to hire more staff and help in reducing unemployment,” she said.

Nhlanhla Dube who works in the recovery services shared his story as well. “To be caught up in substance abuse starts small with marijuana and escalates to something stronger. However, I’m glad I had a chance to go to rehab. With other youth, we started our own company that includes bricklaying. We appreciate the progress from the department. However we urge them to make this kind of information easily accessible to the youth,” he said.

Others who shared their stories include Samuel Ndlovu, Lindiwe Choko, Kaugelo Muthula, Sydwell Maake, Thabang Semenya, Lerato Malepe and Luthando Mafunda.

Makhura said he came to listen to the youth and he liked what he heard. “I like would the MEC to take you all and introduce you to the sister departments. You must not go there as new entities as you’ve been already absorbed by DSD. There you will get help – our government will help you.

“Remember life is about many chances, take your chance and go on to run your businesses. Listening to these young people, I must commend the DS for the work they are doing. You do not often get a commendation. It will sometimes be hard on you when you return the money, however, when we hear that this programme works, this institution works, and when you ask for more money, we know that it will go to where it matters most, to help young people. I will use your stories in my speech on June 16 because I know you speak for others as well,” he said.

In her keynote address, Mosupyoe said as the South African government declared the year 2022 Youth Month theme as ‘Promoting sustainable livelihoods and resilience of young people for a better tomorrow’. The DSD committed to intensifying the implementation of the Gauteng Anti-Poverty Strategy and resolved to ramp up the war on poverty interventions, with emphasis on increased access, expansion, and introduction of additional innovative programmes in the areas of skills development, entrepreneurship development, and job placement, targeting, women and youth.

“Cooperatives also remain a critical vehicle that provides empowerment and capacity building to the poor in developing self-reliance. Many of these cooperatives are run by women and young people who are breadwinners in their families, and we contend empowering cooperatives is fundamental in transforming our communities, breaking the cycle of poverty and fighting GBV,” she said.