Category: President of South Africa

Source: President of South Africa –

Headline: Keynote Address by Deputy President David Mabuza on the occasion of the Solomon Mahlangu S

The family of Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu,
Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and Senior Government Officials,
The Leadership of the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College Trust,
The Leadership of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA),
Representatives of various youth formations in our midst,
Members of the Media,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for inviting me to address you on this special occasion to celebrate the memory and contribution of Solomon Mahlangu to our liberation struggle.

We meet at a time of national mourning, when we have dipped our flags in honour of our struggle icon, Mam’ Nomzamo Winfred Madikizela-Mandela.

What do we say of Mam’ Winnie? She needs no tales to be told, she who speaks for herself, in her own words, with her heroic deeds forever written in the minds of our people.

What do we say of this mother of our nation? Of this phenomenal woman, a God-send, this great gift from our ancestors alike?

We can only say— thank you— our grateful grace that she will finally rest in peace.

Since that day that she walked into the dusty streets of SOWETO, that day that she married the struggle, vowed her commitment to liberation, she has never wavered, deserted nor broke where many a man ran coward.

She was the embodiment of our struggle, the proud bearer of the scars of liberation and the mother who stood bravely between bullet, child and the people.

Her reception in marriage was a union with her people, a love for country and undying spirit for truth and justice. Indeed, she stood between bullet, child and the people.

She had the generosity of spirit to give her life for those who never asked for it but deserved justice nonetheless. She loved her people as they did her; and long after the lions of history have written their tales, the vegetarians will remember her for the truth she spoke about her struggle.

She was a self-made woman, a torcher-bearer for freedom, a true revolutionary, and a unifier.

We meet today to remember yet another leading light of our nation, Kalushi Solomon Mahlangu.

Thirty nine years ago, the evil apartheid regime executed this young patriot and freedom fighter, Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu.

At dawn on Founder’s or Van Riebeeck’s day, it must have been difficult for our mother, umama Martha Mahlangu to say, “kulungile baba uma kuyintando yakho.”

How could it have been well with a mother’s soul to know well in advance the date of her child’s cruel death and she could do nothing to protect him.

In the aftermath of his death, Dennis Brutus wrote the poem, In Memoriam: Solomon Mahlangu

In part, Brutus said,

Singing
he went to war
and singing
he went to his death…

The body hurried secretly
and friends excluded;
thousands of mourners barred

At the cemetery in Mamelodi
Mahlangu’s mother
and thousands of friends
wait

The thousands waiting
weeping, angry
are told to disperse

The police announce
“The corpse you are waiting for will not be delivered ”
On the road to the airport
I search the news
till I find the dread item:
he was hanged at dawn

All night
his name
his face
his body
his fate
the cell
the gallows
pressed on my awareness
like a nail
hammered in my brain

Singing
he went to war
and singing
he went
to his death

Solomon Mahlangu was drawn into the struggle because of his deep love for his country and people. His life teaches us that revolutions are born out of deep love and deep care for others.

To honour him, we must continue to demonstrate great care and compassion for our people. We must work with them all the time to improve their living conditions.

As a nation, we owe a great debt of gratitude to freedom fighters like Solomon Mahlangu, Andrew Zondo, Kgosi Mampuru, Inkosi Miskofini Dlamini and many others who were executed in apartheid and colonial prisons.

At Kgosi Mampuru Correctional centre alone, no less than 132 political were hanged to death.

We pay tribute, not only to these fallen heroes, but to their families as well for their irreplaceable loss and suffering in the cause of national liberation.

Perhaps as Mam’ Winnie departs to her final rest, as she joins his family of icons, revolutionaries and stalwarts, we ought to speak about the importance of the new struggle against forgetting how far we have come.

Our history shows that our struggle is not only a statement about the victors and vanquished.

It is an inter-generational struggle for a united, non-racial, non-sexist, just and prosperous South Africa.

In commemorating the memory of Solomon Mahlangu we honour the struggle he and his generation fought against— a struggle against dispossession and oppression.

In their stories of bravery and valour, in their songs of suffering, in their resilience, we must continue to find hope and inspiration. 

In celebrating his life we must create the new society he fought for, a society based on a humanist ideal; an acknowledgment and atonement for the horrors of our past; yet also to stake a claim for justice, restitution and reconciliation.

For in truth and sincerity, the grand-children of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the Children of Solomon Mahlangu, are not yet at ease.

They still live in over-crowed and forlorn townships, in back-yards and shacks, in Alexandra, Diepsloot, Langa, Seshego, Kwamhlanga and many others.

They still shout— it is not yet Uhuru, Aluta Continua!

They weep for the land of their forefathers. They call for reconciliation tempered with restitution; human rights that come with responsibilities; equality balanced with economic freedom in their life-time; a democracy grounded in social justice.

Yes the trees nourished by the blood of Solomon Mahlangu are set to bloom. Yes we have made remarkable progress, yet these trees are still to bear the ripe fruits of freedom.

More than anything the children of Solomon yearn for the right to learn. They fight for fees to fall and demand a right to education.

They want to change their given family conditions by the sheer weight of their talents and determination. They seek a hand up, not hand outs. They want to be hoisted and tethered by the height of their own boot straps.

They are also demanding fee-free quality and decolonised education— the education Solomon Mahlangu imagined and paid forward for them.

In truth our education system is struggling to carry their demands and weighty expectations.

On the other hand there are millions of young people who sit at home by no choice or fault of their own.

Their talents lie wasted, buried deep in a society that is appears unable to unearth them.

Around four million – they are neither in education, training or employment.

For these young people formal education is no longer something to aspire to, it has become a justification for their exclusion; for their permanent subjugation.

For many of them as drop-outs, access to quality education appears to symbolise the ongoing legacy of apartheid, elitism and social marginalisation.

It is for this reason that we salute the excellent work done by the SOMAFCO Trust in raising scholarships for deserving and needy students.

In doing so, you have picked up the fallen spear of the MK combatant of the June 16 Detachment, Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu.

You are showing that our young people must be treated, not as a problem, but as assets of national development.

You have made it your generational mission to open the doors of learning and culture.

And we applaud all the young people who are beneficiaries of the scholarship which has been named after a young person who had to leave school early after the aftermath of June 16 to fight for other young people.

He returned on the eve of the first anniversary of June 16 commemoration armed and combat ready to ensure that there would be no repeat of the massacre of innocent school children.

Little did he know that his love for his people would lead him to be hanged for a murder he did not commit.

He lived in an era where courts and parliament were instruments used to put a black person in his place including sending them six feet underground if they dared challenge racial oppression.

Your generation have heeded Mahlangu’s call that we must love our people and that we must continue the fight to restore our people’s dignity.

We believe that this scholarship will produce young South Africans who will be patriotic, and love our people and our culture as envisaged by the Freedom Charter.

We also wish to acknowledge the good work of the NYDA in being the voice of South African youth.

As Deputy President and Chair of the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC), I have committed to work more closely with the NYDA to ensure that we multiply the success of the NYDA in its youth development programmes.

As government, we will continue to prioritise the empowerment of youth through skills development, enterprise development, and job creation.

We look to your generation to lead the efforts to end AIDS by 2030. We look to you to promote safe sexual behaviour, the use of condoms, and for fighting stigma associated with disease like AIDS and TB.

You must be at the forefront of crime prevention and crime  fighting initiatives in your communities.

Working with you, we must mobilise the South African private sector to make sure that the recently launched Youth Employment Service (YES) by President Ramaphosa becomes a success and is sustainable.

Working with you, we must reignite hope and turn our back on a culture of izikhothane, greed, opulence, and conspicuous consumption.

And so your task as young people, as the NYDA, as the SOMAFCO Trust, as the custodians of the legacy of Solomon Mahlangu is to speak for these young people.

These are young people who today make a living out of fear and despair. 

With each rising dawn they are caught between a life of rocks and hard knocks.

Those whose consciences still speak rise each morning to stand at street corner to wait for employment.

Daily we see them pulling trollies of hard toil, on the sides of our roads, doing back-breaking work to make cash out of trash; to remind us daily that poverty is no excuse to do crime.

And so we have to confront these harsh realities of our time; if we are to make anything meaningful of Solomon Mahlangu’s legacy. 

While we have tried to formalise the education system, the truth is that about half of those who enter our schools have dropped-out.

They look to the NYDA and as their representatives; they look to you to speak for them; to hear them; to bring hope and to respect them enough not to play partisan politics with their future.

They have laid their hopes and aspirations at your feet to give them a fighting chance and not to fight amongst yourselves.

They care precious little for our ideological and party- political wrangling, they ask only that we serve and work in their interest.

They look to you to help them unlock their talents; to create opportunities for skills and decent work.

They seek the dignity of earning a living; gaining a skill; something to turn into enterprise; if only by the sweat of their brow and nothing else.

They are hoping for a skills revolution; a system that recognises that skills do not depend only on formal schooling; skills that enable them to learn by hand; skills that are portable from business to business, from one employer to the next.

As the poet laureate Maya Angelou writes in, I know why the caged bird sings:

“We must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, are more educated and more intelligent than college professors. We must always listen carefully to what country people called mother-wit; in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations.”

In the name of Solomon Mahlangu. Let us join hands to empower young people; to teach them to fight ignorance through skills and to make more of life than what is taught only in formal education.

Giving young people skills and abilities to fend for themselves is the best honour and gift to give to the memory of Solomon Mahlangu.

Remember always, for these millions of young people, it is not yet Uhuru!

You are our best hope.

Only you can give a new meaning to the dawn on which Solomon Mahlangu’s blood was spilled.

Singing
he went to war
and singing
he went to his death

I thank you.

Source: President of South Africa –

Headline: Deputy President Mabuza to lead Government’s commemoration of Solomon Mahlangu

Deputy President David Mabuza will on Friday, 06 April 2018, lead Government’s 39th Commemoration of the late Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu.

The Deputy President will visit the Gallows at the Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Facility in Pretoria.

The year 2018 marks the 39th anniversary of the execution by hanging of Mahlangu, an ANC Military Wing uMkhonto weSizwe combatant.  He was hanged by the apartheid regime at the Pretoria Central Prison on 6 April 1979. Before he was executed, Mahlangu said: “My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the struggle.”

The execution provoked international protest and condemnation of South Africa’s apartheid policy. In fear of crowd reaction at the funeral, the police decided to bury Mahlangu in Atteridgeville. On 6 April 1993, he was reinterred at the Mamelodi Cemetery.

In 2005, a statue of Mahlangu was unveiled in Mamelodi township in Tshwane. In the same year, Mahlangu was posthumously awarded “The Order of Mendi for Bravery in Gold for his bravery and sacrificing his life for freedom and democracy in South Africa”.

The Deputy President, together with Cabinet Ministers, Deputy Ministers and the Mahlangu Family are expected to take the 52 steps to the Gallows, as they observe the re-enactment of Solomon Mahlangu’s final moments before execution.

Later in the day, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Nathi Mthethwa will deliver a memorial lecture in honour of Solomon Mahlangu at the Vista Campus in Mamelodi.

Details of the events are as follows:

Part One: Visit to the Prison

Date: Friday, 6 April 2018
Time: 05h30 (media to arrive at 04h30)
Venue: Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Facility, Pretoria.

Members of the media should send their names and ID/Passport numbers to Nandipha Gxabuza on 082 835 2053 or Nandipha.gxabuza@dcs.gov.za and Shadi Baloyi on 072 571 6415 or shadi@presidency.gov.za. Members of the media are also requested to present their valid press cards at the point of entry to access the venue.

N.B: Media Accreditation Tags must be personally collected from the Accreditation Desk at Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Facility on Thursday, 5 April 2018, between 13h00 and 15h00, or on Friday, 6 April 2018, between 04h00 and 04h30. All details pertaining to media accreditation may be directed to Singabakho Nxumalo on 079 523 5794.

Part Two: Memorial Lecture

Date: Friday, 6 April 2018
Time: 16h00
Venue: Vista University Campus, 9552 Nku Street, Mamelodi

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Source: President of South Africa –

Headline: Deputy President Mabuza to address the NYDA Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu Scholarship Fund Comm

Deputy President David Mabuza will on Thursday, 05 April 2018, address the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu Scholarship Fund (SKMSF) Commemoration Dinner at the Freedom Park in Pretoria.

The scholarship fund was established in honour of Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu who, at the age of 23, was executed under apartheid laws after being wrongfully accused of murder and terrorism.

Since its establishment the scholarship continues to provide financial support to young people, increasing chances of employability and entrepreneurship, and contributes immensely to the development of critical and scarce skills.

The dinner commemorates 39 years since his execution and celebrates four years of the Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu Scholarship Fund. Beneficiaries of the scholarship fund from across South African universities and TVET colleges will be in attendance.

Details of the commemorative dinner are as follows:

Date: Thursday, 05 April 2018
Time: 18h00 for 18h30
Venue: Gallery of Leaders, Freedom Park, Corner Koch Street & 7th Avenue, Salvokop, Pretoria.

Members of the media should send their names and ID/Passport numbers to Lerato Gambu on 064 860 0716 or Lerato.Gambu@nyda.gov.za on or before Wednesday, 04 April 2018 by 17h00.

Members of the media are also requested to present their valid press cards at the point of entry to access the venue.

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson – 072 854 5707 (Presidency) and Lerato Gambu 064 860 0716 (NYDA)

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Source: President of South Africa –

Headline: President Ramaphosa declares Special Official Funeral for Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that the late Mam’ Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela-Mandela – a recipient of the Order of Luthuli in silver for her “excellent contribution to the fight for the liberation of the people of South Africa” – will be honoured with a Special Official Funeral Category 1.

A Special Official Funeral Category 1 entails elements of military ceremonial honours and is declared, in line with the Presidency’s State, Official and Provincial Official Funeral Policy, for persons of extraordinary credentials specifically designated by the President of the Republic of South Africa.

“Mam’ Winnie deserves the highest respect our nation can demonstrate in honour of a patriot and citizen who served our nation and humanity at large with distinction during our liberation struggle and throughout our democratic dispensation,” President Ramaphosa said.

In line with this declaration, the National Flag shall, with immediate effect, fly at half-mast at all flag stations countrywide and at South African diplomatic missions abroad. This will be observed until the evening of 14 April 2018. The President has further declared national days of mourning from today, 3 April 2018 until 14 April 2018.

In terms of the President’s declaration, the official memorial service for Mam’ Winnie Madikizela-Mandela will be held at the Regina Mundi Catholic Church, Mkhize Street, Soweto, on Wednesday, 11 April 2018.

The Special Official Funeral proceedings will be held at Orlando Stadium, Soweto, on Saturday, 14 April 2018.

Further details will be announced as arrangements are finalised in consultation between government and the family of Mam’ Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Source: President of South Africa –

Headline: Statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on the passing of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

It is with a profound sense of loss and deep sadness that we have learnt of the passing away of Mam’ Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. 

Even at the darkest moments of our struggle for liberation, Mam’ Winnie was an abiding symbol of the desire of our people to be free. 

In the midst of repression, she was a voice of defiance and resistance. 

In the face of exploitation, she was a champion of justice and equality. 

Throughout her life she made an everlasting contribution to the struggle through sacrifice and her unyielding determination. Her dedication to the plight of her people gained her the love and the respect of the nation. 

For many years, she bore the brunt of the senseless brutality of the apartheid state with stoicism and fortitude. Despite the hardships she faced, she never doubted that the struggle for freedom and democracy would succeed. 

She remained throughout her life a tireless advocate for the dispossessed and the marginalised. She was a voice for the voiceless. 

In the coming days, as we mourn the passing of this heroine of our struggle, let us reflect on her rich, remarkable and meaningful life. 

Let us draw inspiration from the struggles that she fought and the dream of a better society to which she dedicated her life. 

Today we have lost a mother, a grandmother, a friend, a comrade, a leader and an icon. 

As South Africans we collectively pass our condolences to the Madikizela and Mandela families. Your loss is our loss as well. 

May her soul rest in peace. 

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Source: President of South Africa –

Headline: Deputy President Mabuza responds to questions in the National Council of Provinces

Deputy President David Mabuza has called on South Africans to reflect on how to confront criminality that has invaded religious organisations, such as was the case recently at eNgcobo in the Eastern Cape.

Deputy President Mabuza issued this call this afternoon, Wednesday 28 March 2018, in his inaugural reply to questions in the National Council of Provinces.

Questions submitted by NCOP members ranged from the integrity of state-owned companies, to youth development, criminality in religious organisations and land expropriation.

Deputy President replied to questions as follows:

National Council of Provinces
Questions for oral reply
Deputy President

Question 1 – On short-/long-term government interventions to strengthen good governance in the public service and State-Owned Entities

As a developmental state, our transformative agenda of the state and economy requires public service cadres that are caring, skilled, professional, responsive and committed to the course.

For that to be realised, we need to continuously build a capable state staffed by people who have the appropriate orientation and commitment to public service. People who are willing to embrace the opportunity to transform and develop our country. People who are willing to serve for the purpose of taking our country to the next level of development and growth.

Furthermore, institutions like the Public Service Commission continue play a role of oversight in cases compliance, accountability and any breaches thereof. The financial disclosures managed by the Department of Public Service and Administration, are one of the mechanisms to promote clean governance and transparency in public service.

On state owned companies, it is important to take note of what the National Development Plan says on State Owned Enterprises, wherein it concludes that they are “…central to advancing national objectives through providing economic and social infrastructure…”

We regard Public Enterprises as a public good that is central in driving state-driven development. Through their various mandates and functions, we are able to drive socio-economic growth that is critical in enabling business and improving the quality of life of our people.

No developmental state can function without their strategic intervention, and as platforms to drive innovation and technological advances. In all hitherto industrial revolutions, State Owned Enterprises have been at the core of development and the provisioning of life-changing economic infrastructure. Accordingly, improving governance at SOEs is a must. It is an unequivocal imperative.

For our part as government we are putting in place mechanisms to detect and fight all shapes and forms of corruption. We want to stem the leakage and uproot corruption from our ranks, be it from a traffic official on the road, the teller at home affairs or the minister who colludes with private interest.

We are seeking out delinquent directors and public servants who are more invested in feathering their nests than servicing public interest. These governance failures have led to deteriorating SOC finances, crippling bailouts and have stunted our development progress.

We are working hard to change the governance landscape by implementing several initiatives in the short-to-medium term. This should bring the required stability to set SOEs a more sustainable path.

In the short-term, under the leadership of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on SOEs, we have capacitated the Board of SAA and the fast traction the appointment of the new CEO to oversee the implementation of the turnaround strategy.

We have done the same at Eskom Board and have set clear targets and parameters to plan better for the built program to prevent future black-outs.

For a longer-term outlook we will focus on implementing the recommendations of Presidential Review Commission on SOEs. The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on SOC Reforms has made considerable progress on this work.

We have completed a Government Shareholder Policy (GSP) which, is undergoing stakeholder consultation to enable the drafting of effective legislation.

Cabinet has endorsed a Private Sector Participation framework for infrastructure delivery led by the National Treasury.

We have also approved the Guide on the Remuneration and Incentives Standards for Non-Executive Directors, Executive Directors and Prescribed Officers of State-Owned Companies.

Cabinet has further developed the National Guide for the Appointment of Persons to Boards and Chief Executive Officers of State and State Controlled Institutions, which will regulate the appointment of CEOs.

It is important that we also clarify the policy and shareholder responsibilities of separate ministries. Whilst doing so, we will also improve policy coordination and streamline mandates for board appointments, powers and functions. We must do so, cognisant of the need to develop an adequate human resources strategy for skills development, promotion and retention of technical expertise.

Through these initiatives and others we will improve governance and return to the core business of making SOEs work of our people.

We must see our SOEs as quasi-private goods. They must create skills and economic infrastructure to enable business activity; to enable young people to work, think and generate ideas to spring development. They must answer to the challenges of inequality, unemployment and social dependency on the state.

This implies that the mandate of SOEs and their responsibilities are greater than the burden placed on the state.

When the private sector corrupts individuals within SOEs and the state, they poison the entire economy. And so, we must fight corruption in SOEs from all angles, the insidious culture of corruption must be confronted from all corruptors and corruptees.

Our approach in government is to treat all forms of corruption in SOEs as a crime.

Thank you very much.

Question 2 – On alleged criminal activities at SOEs

Honourable Members, in the State of the Nation Address, the Honourable President indicated, amongst others, the following:

This is the year that we will turn the tide of corruption in our public institutions

• The recent action we have taken at Eskom to strengthen governance, root out corruption and restore its financial position is just the beginning
• The criminal justice institutions have been taking initiatives that will enable us to deal effectively with corruption
• The Commission of Inquiry into State Capture headed by Deputy Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo, is expected to commence its work shortly. The    Commission is critical to ensuring that the extent and nature of state capture is established, that confidence in public institutions is restored and that those responsible for any wrongdoing are identified.

The incidences of malfeasance at State Owned Companies (SOC) that have been covered widely in the media, is something that Government takes very seriously. In certain instances where forensic and criminal investigations had already been conducted, culpability steps have been taken to ensure that individuals cited by these investigation, at both the Board and Executive level, are removed through proper process from their positions through suspensions and the institution of disciplinary hearings.

With regard to Eskom, actions were taken against Mr Anoj Singh (CFO), Mr Matshela Koko (Acting CEO) and Mr Sean Maritz (Acting CEO). These executives subsequently resigned. At South African Express, actions were taken against Mr Mark Shelly (CFO), Mr Brian Van Wyk (General Manager:Commercial) and these officials also resigned.

In the process we have had some of these individuals opting to resign from their positions before disciplinary hearing could sit to determine their guilt. The criminal justice system will be pursuing these individuals to ensure that resources are recovered and that these people are declared deliquent directors and barred from serving on Boards in the future.

With regard to the matter of criminal cases, a lot of work is unfolding to go through the forensic investigation reports commissioned in the last five years to identify instances where the full might of the law was not unleashed on those that have wasted limited public resources, and further investigations will be undertaken to ensure that those cases that have been overlooked are urgently attended to.

As this work unfolds there will certainly be criminal cases opened with relevant authorities (South African Police Services, Hawks, Company and Intellectual Property Commission and others) to ensure that those implicated get to account for their actions.

Thank you very much.

Question 3 – On government programmes with deliverable outcomes that address challenges that are facing the youth.

Honourable Members, the dreams and wishes of our young people must be the glue that unites and binds all South Africans, black and white.

Nearly twenty-four years into freedom, poverty still stands between our youth and their aspirations. It is they who suffer the burden of unemployment, lack of skills, diseases, and crime.

No stone must be left unturned by members of this august House to usher in a new era of hope and development for our youth.

To succeed, we must use evidence and data to sharpen our policy instruments to achieve the greatest success in improving the lives and opportunities of our youth.

This evidence shows that in our country, poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion has an identity. It is black. It is African. It is also sadly female, rural, and young.

In July 2017 Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) put our population at 56.52 million.

Black Africans constitute more than 80% of the total population at 46 million. Five million South Africans are Coloureds, and they are the second largest population group. We further know that children and young people form the majority of South Africans.

In 2016, Stats SA revealed in its “Social Profile of the Youth, 2009-2014” report that there are about 20 million young people between the ages of 15 and 34. This age group constitutes more than a third or around 36 % of the entire population. They make the face of unemployment at around 70% of our unemployed population.

This report by Stats SA also shows that, since 2012, the Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) rate has remained around 30%.

Even more alarming is that “of the 3.7 million unemployed youth in 2014, only 1.6 million (or 48.3%) had worked before”.

According to Stats SA Quartely Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of 2017, the unemployment rate for youths aged 15 to 34 stood at 38.6%.

It also noted that of the 10,3 million young persons aged 15-24 years, about 30% were not in employment, education or training.

In August last year, Stats SA released the Poverty Trends Report. The Report revealed that poverty levels are on the rise and that today, more than half of South Africans live in poverty.

Stats SA observed that “In general, children (aged 17 years and younger), black Africans, females, people from rural areas, those living in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, and those with little or no education are the main victims in the ongoing struggle against poverty ”.

The underdevelopment of the South African people, their economy, and potential was structural and achieved over many centuries of national oppression and social exclusion.

To free the immense potential of our people, especially the poor majority black youth, we must address the structural factors pertaining to skills development, education, and economic inclusion.

We need policy interventions and programmes that will revitalize rural economies and include young people in local economic development initiatives.

Honourable Members, South Africa’s slow and weak economic growth has had an adverse impact on job creation and youth employment.

The forthcoming Job Summit announced by the President in the State of the Nation Address which is convened to align the efforts of every sector and every stakeholder behind the imperatives of job creation must enable all social partners to agree on concrete actions to be implemented to meet the 5% economic growth envisaged in the National Development Plan (NDP).

Vision 2030 of the NDP was crafted through what the National Planning Commission (NPC) called a “youth lens.”

In line with this vision to mainstream youth development, South Africa in 2015 adopted the National Youth Policy (NYP) 2020.

In the policy, young South Africans are saying, “We don’t want a hand-out. We want a hand-up.”

Our youth want to be viewed as “assets of national development.” They demand that we recognise their agency, patriotism, inherent worth, and dignity.

This policy is premised on the need for integrated, holistic and sustainable development to free the potential of young people in their own development.

The policy is aimed at enhancing economic participation by young people, skills development, and offering second chance programmes, and increase number of learners who graduate.

It aims to improve the health status of young people, decrease HIV infection rates, and reduce teenage pregnancy.

Programmes that have become part of the strategy to improve the lot of young people include:

• State sponsored opportunities for matric rewrites;
• Substantial increase in the number of university students graduating from higher education, increasing by 6% from 180 822 in 2013 to 191 528 in 2015.
• Learnerships, Internships and Artisan programmes;
• The Employment Tax Incentive which came into effect on 1 January 2014, has had a positive impact on the number of youth jobs created.

Honourable Members, South Africa’s Industrial Policy Action and the New Growth Path recognise the importance of prioritising youth in job creation and enterprise development through government set asides.

Through the War on Leaks programme, we are training thousands of young people as plumbers and water agents.

Not less than 19 000 young people have been recruited by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform through the National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC).

The Department of Human Settlements in partnership with the Real Estate sector has set itself the target of supporting not less than 18 000 young graduates and unemployed youth in enterprise development in real estate.

Initiatives like the “She Conquers Campaign” and DREAMS by the Department of Health and social partners are showing positive results in reducing the spread of HIV and creating economic opportunities for young girls and women.

Recently, STATS SA reported that “HIV prevalence among the youth aged 15– 24 has declined over time from 7,3% in 2002 to 4,6 in 2017”.

Just yesterday, President Ramaphosa officially launched the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative.

This initiative will go far in offering work experience opportunities to a million young South Africans over the next three years.

We applaud the South African business sector for their commitment to improve the plight of unemployed young South Africans.

We urge many more to join this initiative and ensure that our youth are skilled on the job, that they are certificated, and that they are assisted to access full, decent employment at the end of their experiential learning.

The YES Initiative adds impetus to other initiatives like National Youth Development Agency, which was established to respond to and provide support to issues of youth development through lobbying and advocacy.

The NYDA has contributed in supporting youth owned enterprises through funding support that stimulates youth entrepreneurship and job creation. In the last financial year, it reported that 698 new youth enterprises were supported through grant funding, and a further 63 407 on business development support. This led to the creation of 3 718 jobs.

Having said this, we must accept that the NYDA is not performing at its full potential. Some improvements must be made especially on institutional strengthening so that the Agency plays a much more effective role in the mainstreaming of youth development issues, and it remains on the cutting of innovative means to respond to youth development challenges.

The implementation of these and other programmes not mentioned here is coordinated at the highest level through the Presidential Youth Working group.

The group also enables strategic conversations between young people, the executive and business on how to implement youth development interventions.

It also enables the discussion of collective action that aims at accelerating the empowerment of young people.

Thank you very much

Question 4 – On regulations over religious sector

Honourable Members, as government we have noted with grave concern the findings of the Commission for Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities regarding certain shocking and unacceptable practices carried out in the name of religion.

Unsuspecting victims have in some instances, been exposed to criminal activities – all in the name of religion. In extreme cases, acts of child abuse have also occurred.

The findings of the CRL Rights Commission are now in the public domain, following the release of their report and its subsequent tabling in Parliament. The legislature needs to process this report with diligence and urgency it deserves and create platforms for meaningful stakeholder engagements and public participation.

It is important that these engagements are allowed to proceed so that together as a nation we can find lasting solutions to this problem. While we have not as yet planned an audit of churches in this regard, we are very clear as government that where cults and criminal activities are pursued under the guise of religion, these should be reported without any delays so that the law can take its course.

Similarly, government has not as yet decided to introduce added regulations over the religious sector as recommended by the CRL Rights Commission. The recommendations are only recent, and we believe that they should continue to be discussed with as many stakeholders as possible so that the corrective measures that ensue will have benefited from this rich dialogue.

In this regard, we have noted, for example, that Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has recommended, among others, that a National Consultative Conference be convened to explore, among others, the possibility of introducing a charter for self-regulation as well as a code of conduct for the religious sector.

Thank you very much

Question 5 – On lifestyle audit of National Executive

Honourable Members, the President correctly pronounced on this matter as a measure aimed at ensuring that ethical behaviour and social accountability are promoted within the public service.

The decision to start with this process at the level of the National Executive, is to provide leadership on this matter and to demonstrate our seriousness towards building public confidence and restoring public trust that has been undermined though continuous reports of maladministration, theft of public funds and acts of corruption to advance the interest of the select politically connected few.

The objective therefore is to ensure that those of us in government positions and other organs of state, are not being used for narrow personal gain at the expense of providing services to the public. We are currently finalising guidelines and protocols for this process. The honourable members can be rest assured that this matter is receiving the priority it deserves.

Thank you very much

Question 6 – Expropriation of land without compensation

Honourable Members, yes, Government has engaged Traditional Leaders on the expropriation of land without compensation.

On 13 July 2017 the Minister for Public Works engaged with the Traditional Leaders on the Expropriation Bill in Cape Town. At that meeting, they strongly submitted that the expropriation of land must exclude communal land and that the State must decongest communal land by availing land through expropriation, to expand traditional communities as the current communal land is congested.

Further to this, when the 54th National Conference of the ANC resolved to implement the expropriation of land without compensation, the ANC leadership met with various traditional leaders around the country to share the outcomes of that conference and its implications for the work of government and those matters that impact on the current structure and systems of traditional leadership.

On 27th February 2018, the National Assembly voted in favour of a motion to accelerate equitable land redistribution through expropriation of land without compensation. During his reply to the debate on the opening on the National House of Traditional Leaders on 01 March 2018, the President made it clear that government will shortly initiate a dialogue with key stakeholders on the modalities through which the commitment can be effected meaningfully.

Since the process on expropriation of land without compensation is now underway, as Government we will be further engaging various stakeholders in society including Traditional leadership. We view traditional leaders as a critical stakeholder that should be engaged at all material times.

Just last week, I had an interaction with His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini during the observation of the International TB Day in Durban, wherein we agreed that we should meet to further discuss the implications of this resolution in as far as land under the jurisdiction of AmaKhosi is concerned.

Just yesterday, I also had interactions with the National House of Traditional Leadership and we engaged on the role that the leadership must play in the process. This will also include how to implement the land reforms in a manner that will address all concerns that are being raised.

Similar engagements with the House of Traditional Leadership will be undertaken to engage on the implications of this process and how we implement the land reform in a manner that addresses all the concerns that are being raised here.

Indeed our engagements with Traditional Leaders have included fostering a shared understanding on the ownership and usage of communal land in the sense that communal land ownership is in the hands of the communities who entrusted custodianship of such land under traditional leaders.

Traditional Councils administer the usage of land. In this regard, they issue permits for usage, called permission to occupy (PTO), which includes permission to use for residence, subsistence farming and other livelihoods.

Therefore, the approach is that community engagement should take place on issues of spatial planning intended for the usage of communal land such as planning for grazing, settlements, business and other means.

The current Expropriation Bill is meant to address the acquisition of additional communal land in instances where current owners, through dispossessing traditional communities of their land have acquired such land.

As far as the situation stands now, there has been consideration of policy or legislative interventions about the acquisition, ownership and usage of communal land. Traditional Leaders cannot sell communal land since such does not belong to them as individuals but to communities.

The Communal Land Tenure Bill has been proposed to regulate the ownership and usage of communal land and a system of the Traditional Council’s ownership and the administration of usage of such land is proposed in the said Bill.

As a matter of principle, Traditional Councils should consult communities on all matters concerning the administration of communal land for the benefit of communities, and as per traditional communities’ spatial plans put in place for development purposes.

Thank you very much

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson on 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Source: President of South Africa –

Headline: Deputy President Mabuza to hand over houses as part of Human Rights Month commemorations

Deputy President David Mabuza will tomorrow, 29 March 2018, hand over new houses to the residents of Two-Line village and Watervaal at the Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality in the Mpumalanga Province.
 
The event follows the Deputy President’s visit to the area in August 2017 where he found the residents, including a woman living with disability, living in uninhabitable conditions.
 
The hand over will form part a series of Government events held in commemoration of Human Rights Month of March across the country.
 
The visit will culminate in a public meeting where the Deputy President will address members of the community.
 
The programme is as follows:
 
Part One: Handing Over of Houses 
Time: 08h00
Venue: Waterval, Ward 11, Siyabuswa, Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality.
 
Part Two: Community meeting
Time: 11h00     
Venue: Sihlangene Junior Primary School, Ward 11 Siyabuswa Township, Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality
 
 
Enquiries: Tyrone Seale on 083 5757 440 or Proffesor Ndawonde on 079 8912 782
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Source: President of South Africa –

Headline: Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the launch of the Youth Employment Service initiat

Programme Director,
Premier of Gauteng, Mr David Makhura,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Business leaders,
Representatives of organised labour,
Representatives of youth formations,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
This is an occasion of great significance for our country and our people.
 
It marks the official launch of an initiative that is set to change the lives of many young South Africans in cities, towns and villages across the country.
 
This is a timely, worthy and ambitious response to youth unemployment – which is perhaps the greatest and most pressing social and economic challenge facing our country at this moment in our history.
 
It is the young people of this country who, more than most, must daily grapple with the misery and indignity of poverty and unemployment.
 
It is they who must worry that their futures will be dashed by the devastating legacy of the past.
 
It is they who, as they look for work, are faced with disappointment and frustration, with doubt and despondency.
 
We are gathered here today because we all know only too well the depth and extent of youth unemployment in this country.
 
We know that millions of young people do not complete school and many that do, do not have the skills that our economy needs.
 
We know about the extreme difficulties that poor black South Africans experience in finding employment.
 
Without access to networks, without information about opportunities, without exposure to the world of work, even those with further education often struggle to bridge the gap between learning and earning.
 
We know too about the great distances that separate the places where young people live from the places where they may find work, and the great cost that they must incur simply to look for employment.
 
We are gathered here today – as business, government, labour, civil society and young people – because we know the challenges that young black South Africans face, and we are determined to confront them.
 
All of us who are gathered here today are bound together by a firm conviction that the future of our country and the prosperity of our people depends on how we respond to this challenge.
 
We are certain that although the difficulties may be great, although the obstacles may be daunting, we have the means, the will and the resources to overcome them.
 
Through the initiative that we are launching today, we are determined to demonstrate the power of collective action in pursuit of an ambitious and far-reaching agenda.
 
For what we are seeking to do, through this and other initiatives, is to provide pathways for young people into the world of work.
 
We see this initiative as one pillar of a broad and comprehensive national effort to create opportunities for young people.
 
Another, central, pillar of this effort must be the development of the skills and capabilities of young people.
 
Starting at the very beginning, in early childhood development, we are working to improve the quality and value of the learning that young people receive in our basic education system.
 
We are working to ensure that all learners who enter primary school remain in school to complete their studies.
 
Access to higher education and training has expanded dramatically over the last two decades, significantly increasing the number of people in the workforce who hold degrees and diplomas.
 
Yet while we are making progress, there is much more we need to do to match the skills that are being produced in our institutions with the needs of our economy, both now and into the future.
 
We are investing, for example, more effort and more resources into TVET colleges, which have the potential to produce on a significant scale the technical skills that will underpin the industrialisation of our economy.
 
By partnering with the private sector, we are seeking to ensure that training in TVET colleges is suited to the requirements of the companies that seek these skills and that TVET college graduates are more easily able to find positions in these companies.
 
This is part of a broader challenge we face, of ensuring that young people are adequately prepared for the world of work.
 
Another pillar of the national effort to create opportunities for young people must therefore be programmes to promote work readiness.
 
Understanding the constraints that young black work seekers face, we need effective, sustainable and scalable programmes to prepare these people for first time employment.
 
By the same measure, we need to appreciate the concerns that employers have in taking on inexperienced young people.
 
One of the measures that government has introduced to address these concerns is the Employment Tax Incentive, which reduces the cost to employers of hiring young people.
 
Public-private partnerships likes the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator go even further by preparing young people for work through training and matching programmes.
 
The initiative we are launching today complements the work already being done to tackle youth unemployment.
 
It provides a vital ingredient that has been missing – the provision of meaningful work experience for young people on a scale that will have a significant and lasting impact on employment, on the economy and on broader society.
 
It therefore gives me great pleasure to formally launch the Youth Employment Service, known as YES.
 
The YES initiative has been made possible through the hard work and commitment of many people in the private sector, in government, in labour and in other organisations.
 
I wish to express my gratitude in particular to Stephen Koseff and Colin Coleman for having taken up the challenge we put to you two years ago and for having pursued it with such determination and zeal.
 
Thank you to the companies who have come forward to provide work experience opportunities to the first 100 YES participants – Unilever, Sasol, Investec, ABSA and Netcare.
 
Thank you to all the companies that have shown interest and who have committed to becoming part of the programme.
 
By providing one-year paid work experience opportunities to thousands of unemployed young people, these companies will not only be measurably improving their prospects to find employment, but will be helping to build a more inclusive, more sustainable economy.
 
I thank you.

Source: President of South Africa –

Headline: Deputy President Mabuza to respond to questions in the National Council of Provinces

Deputy President David Mabuza will tomorrow, 28 March 2018, respond to questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).

The Deputy President will answer questions on measures taken to improve governance of state-owned enterprises, regulation of religious practices, progress on the mooted lifestyle audits of the members of the National Executive, youth unemployment and poverty as well as government’s responses to the challenges.

Deputy President Mabuza will also respond to questions on the expropriation of land without compensation and whether government is engaging with Traditional Leaders on the land issue.

Details of the event are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Time: 14h00
Venue: NCOP, Old Assembly, Parliament, Cape Town

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson on 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Source: President of South Africa –

Headline: President Ramaphosa to launch the Youth Employment Service initiative

President Cyril Ramaphosa will launch the Youth Employment Service (YES) tomorrow, Tuesday, 27 March 2018, at the Riverside Incubation Hub in Fourways, Johannesburg.
 
The YES initiative aims to see more than one million young South Africans being offered paid work experience over the next three years, as part of placing the needs of and opportunities for young people at the centre of inclusive economic growth.
 
The initiative takes the form of a partnership – led by President Cyril Ramaphosa – between government, business, labour and civil society.
 
The programme has three channels through which employment opportunities can occur:
 
• Corporate work experiences: businesses that participate in the programme create one-year paid positions for youth aged between 18 and 35, in addition to these organisations’ current employment numbers, YES is additive; 
• SMME host placements: businesses that do not have the capacity to place more people in their organisations, have the option of sponsoring the salary for a one-year placement in small and medium enterprises (in year one for 7 to 10 months); and 
• SMME development: young people are empowered to start and grow their own businesses, with support from YES in the form of training, seed funding and value-chain integration.
 
Research has shown that one year of work experience, coupled with a CV and reference letter, increases a young person’s chances of finding employment by three times.
 
At tomorrow’s launch, President Ramaphosa will meet the first 100 young people to participate in this programme.
 
Members of the media are invited as follows:
 
Date: Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Time: 08h00
Venue: Riverside Incubation Hub 12-8 Incubation Drive, Riverside View Ext 15, Fourways, Midrand, 2021
 
RSVP: Terrence Manase – 082 338 6707

 
Enquiries: Khusela Diko – 072 854 5707
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria