IMG 20240523 WA0004
Picture courtesy: (SEIFSA) Deputy President Paul Mashatile addresses the nation during the launch of the SANSI programme, a strategic move towards empowering South Africa’s youth through employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
This ambitious initiative aims to empower the youth through a comprehensive programme that includes character-building, education, and training, leading to gainful employment or entrepreneurship.
Mashatile emphasised the importance of collaboration between the government and social partners in tackling the pressing issue of youth unemployment.
He stated, “As government, we need more business and government initiatives that provide young men and women with opportunities to learn and give them a national service identity that embodies discipline, patriotism, and the highest level of professionalism.”
Mashatile shared during the launch that he is happy about the Department of Defence and the Department of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD), in collaboration with the Department of Defence, adopting a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to the skills revolution for the unskilled.
“This will have a significant impact on restoring livelihoods, creating wealth, and alleviating poverty and hunger among the marginalised,” Mashatile added.
The announcement comes in the wake of Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, which pegs the official unemployment rate at 32.9%. The survey highlights a grim reality: approximately 3.6 million young people aged between 15 and 24 are not engaged in employment, education, or training programmes.
The initiative promises to not just be about job creation but also aims to foster a new generation of skilled, innovative entrepreneurs who can contribute to the economy’s key sectors.
These include the food and agricultural value chain, maritime and ocean economies, engineering and construction, and manufacturing and infrastructure rollouts.
Mashatile emphasised the importance of this initiative for the future of South Africa’s youth, stating, “We envisaged inviting and encouraging young people to voluntarily join the National Youth Service, beginning with a character-building programme and progressing to industry demand-based education and training, ultimately leading to gainful employment or entrepreneurship.”
The Deputy President called for nationwide support for the SANSI programmes, urging the youth to seize this opportunity to equip themselves with much-needed skills for the future. The provincial launches of these programmes are expected to follow in the coming weeks, with the government hoping to reach at least 100,000 youth participants in the current financial year.
With the pervasive challenges of youth unemployment, young people face a daunting landscape of limited opportunities and economic instability. Amidst this struggle, the SANSI initiative has the potential stands of being beacon of hope, offering not only jobs but also a path to a more prosperous and sustainable future for the nation’s youth.
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