By Angela Quintal
Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad will be asked to explain to Parliament why a youth desk has been set up in the highest office in the land, when the National Youth Commission (NYC) is already located there.
The National Assembly's ad hoc committee to review Chapter Nine and associated institutions held a bilateral meeting with the NYC on Wednesday, and among concerns raised by MPs was the question of duplication across several fronts, including research.
Committee chairperson Kader Asmal asked why the commission wanted more funds to boost its research capacity, given that several state institutions were covering the same ground.
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'Are we getting value for money' "Research is very expensive. Your budget is about a fifth of universities, which have 14 000 students, employ about 180 academics and ground staff. It's exactly one-fifth. Are we getting value for money in a developmental state?" he asked.
Since its establishment in 1996, the NYC has been regarded as one of the most ineffective institutions and a waste of taxpayers money by its detractors.
It was once panned by its critics as a costly employment agency for the ANC Youth League. The fact that it has yet to ensure that a national youth policy has been adopted by the cabinet, has raised eyebrows, including from within its own ranks.
Its CEO earns R558 306 a year, its chairperson R591 846, and the deputy chairperson R502 461, while the communications director's package stands at R481 098.
Its budget has grown from just under R15-million in 2002 to R21,6-million next year.
The body's commissioners and chairperson were grilled on Wednesday and were hard pressed to convince sceptical MPs that the NYC was effective and was providing value for money, or was actually engaged in issues that were relevant to youth.
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