Johannesburg - The ANC Youth League has applauded the establishment of new universities in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.
“The pending establishment of these institutions of higher learning is a victory for the unemployed, marginalised, (and) homeless...” spokeswoman Khusela Sangoni-Khawe said in a statement on Friday.
On Thursday, President Jacob Zuma announced that the new universities would be located in the capitals of the two provinces - Nelspruit and Kimberley.
The location of the universities had caused friction, with residents in Barberton holding protests and demanding the Mpumalanga one be based in their town.
In March, Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza announced the new tertiary institution for the province would be built in White River.
Zuma said the new universities would help ease youth unemployment through skills development.
About 42 percent of young people in South Africa under the age of 30 are unemployed, compared with less than 17 percent of adults over 30, according to a National Treasury paper on youth unemployment. - Sapa