The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) acknowledged that the speech presented by President Ramaphosa at the State of the Nation Address (Sona) downplayed the serious challenges South Africans were faced with.
“With over 9 million unemployed individuals between the ages of 15 to 24, urgent action is needed to create meaningful employment opportunities and foster economic inclusion for our youth.
“The ANCYL applauds the government's commitment to job creation, evidenced by the creation of more than 1.7 million work and livelihood opportunities through programs like the Expanded Public Works Programme and the placement of over 1 million school assistants in 23 000 schools through the Presidential Employment Stimulus,” said the ANCYL spokesperson Zama Khanyase on Monday.
Khanyase continued to applaud the government’s efforts to harness technology and innovation in addressing youth unemployment.
“Initiatives such as SAYouth.mobi have provided over 4.3 million young people with access to opportunities for learning and earning, empowering them to chart their own paths to success in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
“In addition to economic empowerment, the ANCYL recognises the importance of education in unlocking the full potential of our youth. We commend the government's commitment to providing access to quality education for all, as evidenced by the highest-ever matric pass rate of 82.9%.
“This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our young learners, as well as the tireless efforts of educators and policymakers to ensure that every child could thrive academically.”
She said even though there was a commitment on the government’s side to deal with crime with its recruitment of 20 000 police officers over the last two years and gearing up to recruit an additional 10 000 officers in the coming year, the scourge of crime and corruption remained a top priority.
In addressing the shortcomings of government failures to create jobs and closing the gap of inequalities among South Africans the Youth League said there was a need for the restructuring of the country’s economy to benefit the majority of South Africans.
It further said it had declared the high levels of unemployment among young people in the country as a “disaster”.
“We went forward to tell the president what he must do on an urgent basis to put export quotas, so that our raw materials can be utilised to revive secondary and tertiary industries so that the youth can participate in it whether as an employment or business opportunities,” the ANCYL said.