Archive

Press Releases

January 2018

NYDA congratulates class of 2017

NYDA Campus visits in partnership with SAUS

MEDIA ADVISORY

NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY CAMPUS VISITS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SAUS

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in partnership with the South African Union of Students (SAUS) will today start visiting campuses as part of the ensuring the implementation of Free Education. The three-day visit will be led by the NYDA Executive Chairperson, Mr Sifiso Mtsweni alongside members of the NYDA Board.

Details of the visits are as follows:

Day One: Tuesday, 9 January 2018
University of Forth Hare: East London Campus at 10h00 led by Ms Khomotjo Joy Maimela

Walter Sisulu University: Buffalo City Campus, College Street at 13h00 led by the Executive Chairperson, Sifiso Mtsweni alongside Ms Zandile Majozi

Buffalo City TVET College: East London Main Campus at 15h00 led by Mr Kenny Morolong

Day Two: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Rhodes University at 10h00 led by Executive Deputy Chairperson, Bavelile Hlongwa

Walter Sisulu Main Campus Umtata led by Executive Chairperson, Sifiso Mtsweni

NMU South Campus at 14h00 led by Executive Deputy Chairperson, Bavelile Hlongwa

Port Elizabeth TVET College at 15h30 led by Executive Deputy Chairperson, Bavelile Hlongwa

Day Three: Thursday, 11 January 2018
Fort Hare Alice at 15h30 led by the NYDA Executive Chairperson, Sifiso Mtsweni.

Members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend.

Media Enquiries: Lerato Gambu on Lerato.Gambu@nyda.gov.za or 064 860 0716

Issued by the National Youth Development Agency
09 January 2018

NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY CAMPUS VISITS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SAUS

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in partnership with the South African Union of Students (SAUS) will today start visiting campuses as part of the ensuring the implementation of Free Education. The three-day visit will be led by the NYDA Executive Chairperson, Mr Sifiso Mtsweni alongside members of the NYDA Board.

Details of the visits are as follows:

Day One: Tuesday, 9 January 2018
University of Forth Hare: East London Campus at 10h00 led by Ms Khomotjo Joy Maimela

Walter Sisulu University: Buffalo City Campus, College Street at 13h00 led by the Executive Chairperson, Sifiso Mtsweni alongside Ms Zandile Majozi

Buffalo City TVET College: East London Main Campus at 15h00 led by Mr Kenny Morolong

Day Two: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Rhodes University at 10h00 led by Executive Deputy Chairperson, Bavelile Hlongwa

Walter Sisulu Main Campus Umtata led by Executive Chairperson, Sifiso Mtsweni

NMU South Campus at 14h00 led by Executive Deputy Chairperson, Bavelile Hlongwa

Port Elizabeth TVET College at 15h30 led by Executive Deputy Chairperson, Bavelile Hlongwa

Day Three: Thursday, 11 January 2018
Fort Hare Alice at 15h30 led by the NYDA Executive Chairperson, Sifiso Mtsweni.

Members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend.

Media Enquiries: Lerato Gambu on Lerato.Gambu@nyda.gov.za or 064 860 0716

Issued by the National Youth Development Agency
09 January 2018

Statement of NYDA Executive Chairperson on Hoerskool Overvaal

MEDIA STATEMENT

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NYDA) EXECUTIVE CHAIRPERSON MR SIFISO MTSWENI ON HOERSKOOL OVERVAAL

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has noted with disgust and complete outrage scenes currently unfolding in what is now becoming a symbol of apartheid, Hoerskool Overvaal. The School Governing Body (SGB) has rejected the application of English speaking learners who are from surrounding areas, citing Afrikaans as a medium of instruction as a reason. We find this completely unacceptable, uncouth and reminiscent of Hendrik Verwoerd’s policy of imposing Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in order to sustain apartheid and Afrikaner Male superiority.

The NYDA has also noted the judgement by the court on the matter, we are calling on the Gauteng Department of Education to appeal the judgement as it seeks to create racially exclusive schools in this country which is against the spirit and letter of our democratic constitution.

According to NYDA Executive Chairperson, Mr Sifiso Mtsweni “The country emerged from a painful past, where the majority of our people were oppressed using education as a tool to further impose a racist ideology which was discredited as a crime against humanity. Current scenes at the school are reminiscent of the June 16, 1976 uprisings where students across the country fought and defeated the imposition of Afrikaans as a sole medium of instruction. We are saddened that 24 years into our democratic dispensation, characterised by a constitution that recognizes our unity in diversity, you find racially exclusive schools that seek to impose the same Afrikaans that was used to unleash the wrath of the students in this country”.

We support activists who are correctly demonstrating against this apartheid style admission policy of the school and we call on the police to exercise restraint when dealing with protestors. While we call for peaceful demonstrations, the scenes where youth activists are shot and hospitalized are a worrying factor and we will seek audience with the leadership of the police in order to engage on the matter.

“We will also, as an agency representing the youth in this country, seek a meeting with the School Governing Body to try and persuade them to reconsider their admission policy because continuation of the current policy will take our country back when it was moving swiftly forward” says Mtsweni.

For media enquiries contact:
Lerato Gambu
Tel: 011 651 7000
Cell: 064 860 0716
E-mail: Lerato.Gambu@nyda.gov.za

Issued by the National Youth Development Agency

19 January 2018

February 2018

NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY HOST CONSULTATIONS AND CALLS FOR COMMENT ON THE INTEGRATED YOUTH DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (IYDS)

NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY HOST CONSULTATIONS AND CALLS FOR COMMENT ON THE INTEGRATED YOUTH DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (IYDS)

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), established in terms of NYDA Act (Act No.54 of 2008) is responsible for coordinating and mainstreaming youth development across all sectors of society. This is re-affirmed by the National Youth Policy (2020) placing a mammoth task of youth development on the Agency.

Key amongst objectives of the agency is the development of an Integrated Youth Development Strategy and Plan for South Africa. It is in this context that we present a draft framework for consultation and inputs.

The Integrated Youth Development Strategy (IYDS) is an implementation plan of the National Youth Policy (2020) and it is also a mainstreaming and co-ordinating tool. Some of the objectives of the IYDS include:

To define a multi-sectoral framework within which youth development programmes can be implemented in an integrated manner, thereby maximising outcomes;

To provide a partnership and stakeholder engagement framework and set of mechanisms, enabling government, business and civil society organisations to work together

To lobby relevant government partners to create a more youth friendly and supportive regulatory environment;

To facilitate programmes aimed at job creation and economic security for young people

To initiate catalytic programmes designed to benefit youth from disadvantaged backgrounds (primarily youth from rural areas, youth with disabilities, and young women);

To coordinate youth focused programmes across all sectors of government and industry in order to align resource allocation;

To provide a monitoring and evaluation framework which will enable coordinated nationwide tracking of youth development programmes

The draft framework will be key discussion during this consultations, which aims to solicit inputs from all key role players in youth development more importantly young people.

NB: The Integrated Youth Development Strategy document is accessible here. Details of consultations to be held at various provinces will also be updated.

For media enquiries contact:
Lerato Gambu
Tel: 011 651 7000
Cell: 064 860 0716
E-mail: Lerato.Gambu@nyda.gov.za

NYDA welcomes prioritising of Free Education and Entrepreneurship

MEDIA STATEMENT

NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY WELCOMES PRIORITISING OF FREE EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) welcomes Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba’s Budget Speech and the particular emphasis placed on entrepreneurial development and education. This budget has cleared the confusion around the Fee-Free Quality Higher Education for young people from the poor and working class. We applaud government’s resolve to finally implement this long standing demand for a fee-free quality higher education.

When free education was announced as pushed for by us, many a commentator told us how it was not "feasible and affordable" and to the contrary we said that our caring and listening Government would make it possible as per the 2017 ruling Party conference resolutions as well as the 2018 SONA declarations.

The 2018 Budget Speech states that “Work is being done to provide crucial funding to innovative small businesses when they need it the most. A fund with an allocation of R 2.1 billion over the medium term is being developed between the Department of Small Businesses, Science and Technology and the National Treasury to benefit small and medium enterprises during the early start-up phase—this is an area that historically had limited support because the risks involved”. We are calling for a chunk of that money to be placed aside for youth owned businesses and entrepreneurs as announced by the President in the SONA with a special dispensation for requirements of funding for youth owned enterprises.

We are calling for oversight over the implementation of the Preferential Procurement Regulations which came into effective in April 2017 particularly a provision on “Targeted procurement from designated groups, including township and rural enterprises, black women and youth enterprises, cooperatives and people with disabilities”. Young people must be the major beneficiaries on an inclusive and growing economy, we continue to call for youth set-asides.

This pronouncement is in line with our declaration against youth unemployment and consistent call for 40% youth quota in government procurement, including in Parliament.

According to the NYDA Chairperson Sifiso Mtsweni, “we are more delighted that the budget has emphasised the need for a partnership between government, labour, the private sector and civil society for inclusive growth and job creation. Youth development is everyone’s business”.

“However, we must indicate our discomfort around the exclusion of an increase in corporate tax to fund free education resulting in increased VAT which will affect the poor in one way or another” said Mtsweni

For media enquiries contact:
Lerato Gambu
Tel: 011 651 7000
Cell: 064 860 0716
E-mail: Lerato.Gambu@nyda.gov.za

Issued by the National Youth Development Agency

22 February 2018

March 2018

The appointment of NYDA CEO, Mr. Waseem Carrim

MEDIA STATEMENT

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NYDA) ON THE APPOINTMENT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) BY EXECUTIVE CHAIRPERSON, MR SIFISO MTSWENI.

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) wishes to announce the appointment of the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Waseem Carrim. The NYDA embarked on a process to fill a vacancy of its accounting officer, following the resignation of its former CEO, Mr Khathu Ramukumba.

The NYDA Board set itself a period of four (4) months since the resignation of the former CEO and we are happy that this process was resolved speedily and within the set timeframe.

After publishing job adverts in all spaces, we received a lot of interest from talented South Africans who wanted to contribute to the project of youth development.

Throughout that process, the NYDA Board was able to shortlist and identify the best candidates for the position. We are confident that the Board has made the best choice for the position of the CEO.

Mr Carrim has served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the NYDA since 2014, during this period, he has presided over the turn-around of the NYDA finances. The organization has moved from a dire financial state to a viable one.

Over the past 3 financial years, the NYDA has moved from an organization characterized by wasteful and fruitless expenditure to the tune of R100 million to an organization of clean audit opinion. In the last financial year, fruitless and wasteful expenditure amounted to R0.

As CFO, Mr Carrim was able to take the organization from a negative trajectory into a positive one. Mr Carrim is a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) who studied at the University of Pretoria, amongst other qualifications he also graduated in:

·       Masters of Commerce Taxation
·       BCom Honours: Accounting Sciences
·       BCom: Accounting Sciences
·       SAICA : CA

The 30-year-old Carrim is also now one of the youngest CEO’s in the country. His experience include serving as CFO for 4 and a half years, as Manager Public Service Specialist for the KPMG between 2013 and 2014, he was also a Senior Accountant at the same company. Before this he was an Academic Lecturer for the University of Pretoria in the year 2010.

The NYDA Board had also appointed Mr Carrim as Acting Chief Executive Officer since the departure of Mr Ramukumba over 4 months ago. He has presided over the organization in such a manner that managed the transition very well. The NYDA looks set to achieve another 100% performance on all its Key Performance Areas for the financial year 2017/2018.

The NYDA is on course to achieving another clean audit, the governance systems are in place and functional. We have vowed as the Board to ensure that we make the right appointments and the appointment of Mr Carrim is but one of such.

The NYDA Board remains committed to ensuring that the NYDA becomes one of the best run institutions in the country, we are committed to ensuring that the organization manages its resources in a prudent manner such that they reach its intended recipients which are the youth of South Africa.

We remain committed to ensuring that we create an accessible institution that will roll out its presence to all corners of the country especially in rural and township areas.

To date, the NYDA has invested a lot of its limited resources to education and skills training programs including the Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship fund where we invested R73 Million in this financial year alone.

We will this year see its first batch of Graduates of the scholarship fund. We have invested over R70 Million in youth owned enterprises through our grant program which has 72% success rate (which is the highest in Government funding institutions), we have launched the NYDA Mobile App and Mobile Offices to ensure reach far and wide.

We have cut employee costs substantially and kept the wage bill at 35% as required by Parliament, we have invested R10 million in research development through the Youth Development Institute of South Africa (YDISA) in order to ensure we receive academically backed research that will inform our policy advocacy. We have also launched as demanded by the NYDA Act, a Youth Fund and a Youth Skills Fund which we will be roll out over the next financial year.

With a mere budget of R435 million, which amounts to about 0,0004% of the overall budget of Government in a youth dominated society, we are acutely aware that a lot of work still need to be done to reach out to all young people of this country, we are very much aware of the frustrations and we remain committed to attending to them.

The stability of the organization becomes paramount in this regard.

We take this opportunity as the NYDA Board to congratulate Mr Carrim and wish him well in his new responsibilities. The agency will initiate processes of finding a suitable replacement for the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) which Mr Carrim will vacate as of the end of March 2018.

Ends

Media Enquiries: Lerato Gambu on Lerato.Gambu@nyda.gov.za or 064 860 0716
Issued by the National Youth Development Agency
29 March 2018

April 2018

Deputy President, David Mabuza to address the SKMSF Commemorative Dinner

May 2018

DPME Budget Vote 2018

June 2018

NYDA Launches New Office in Mbombela and unveils strategic partnership with Rise FM

NYDA Launches New Full-Service Branch in KZN

July 2018

DPME and NYDA to host BRICS Youth Ministers Meeting and BRICS Youth Summit

MEDIA ADVISORY

THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, MONITORING AND EVALUATION AND NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY TO HOST THE BRICS YOUTH MINISTERS MEETING AND BRICS YOUTH SUMMIT

The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) will host the BRICS Youth Ministers meeting and BRICS Youth Summit at the Zebula Estate, Bela Bela, Limpopo Province from 16 to 20 July 2018.

The activities will commence with a BRICS Youth Summit from the 16-18 July 2018. The meeting of the Youth Ministers will take place on the 19-20 July 2018.

As part of the activities, the Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will deliver an opening address for the BRICS Youth Summit at 10h00 on 16 July 2018 and Chair the meeting of the Youth Minister on the 19-20.

The Youth Ministers Meeting will be preceded by a photo opportunity for the media and door stop interviews.

The Youth delegates led by the NYDA and coordinators of the National Youth Service will undertake community service as part of marking the centenary of Nelson Mandela on 18 July 2018.

These activities form part of the preparations for the 10th BRICS Summit which will be held at the Sandton International Convention Centre from 25 to 27 July 2018.

Our country assumed the BRICS Chairship on 1 January 2018 and its tenure will continue until 31 December 2018.

South Africa’s membership of the BRICS Forum has become a vital component of its global economic strategy and is viewed as a catalyst and enabling tool for the pursuit and achievement of the country’s foreign policy priorities, including the promotion of the African Agenda, sustainable development, global governance reform and South-South cooperation.

The theme for the 10th BRICS Summit is: “BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution”. The theme is reflective of the commitment to strive towards the creation of an inclusive society and global partnerships that will bring prosperity to all humankind.

The BRICS Youth Summit will be held as follows:

Date: 16 – 18 July 2018
Venue: Zebula Lodge, Bela Bela, Limpopo Province
Time: 08h00 – 16h00

The BRICS Youth Ministers Meeting will be held as follows:
Date: 19 - 20 July 2018
Venue: Zebula Lodge, Bela Bela, Limpopo Province
Time: 08h00 – 16h00

NB: Members of the media who wish to cover the activities related to the BRICS Youth Summit and Brics Ministerial Summit are advised to submit their full names and identity numbers for accreditation by 13 July 2018, 10h00.

For confirmation of attendance and submission of the required details, contact Mr Jackson Maila on Jackson.Maila@dpme.gov.za.

For enquiries on the BRICS Youth Ministers Meeting contact Mr Mlungisi Mtshali on 0820885060/Mlungisi.Mtshali@dpme.gov.za and and for the BRICS YOUTH SUMMIT contact on 0648600716/ Lerato.Gambu@nyda.gov.za.