06/17/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/17/2025 03:17
Speaking on the topic "Building a Bold Future: Youth Economic Participation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity", Cape Town University of Technology's (CPUT) Information and Technology Coordinator, Ms Lolwethu Luthuli, outlined what needs to change to achieve participation in the economy for South Africa's young people. In her view, there a need to shift from symbolic inclusion to structural transformation.
Explaining what she means by this statement, she said that structural transformation is the reallocation of economic activity from the least productive sectors of the economy to more productive ones. This transition can assist to build a youth economy, she said. This could be achieved by establishing and scaling innovation and industrialisation hubs in townships where there is huge concentration of unemployed youth.
Tied to these initiatives is the digital economy that mostly favours the youth, she said. This includes an array of career and job opportunities for the youth from financial technology to ecommerce and content creation.
In her view, the answer to youth employment is not the introduction of more policies. It is the implementation of the existing ones in an inclusive, funded and youth driven manner and which is Pan African in its outlook.
Another topic for discussion at the P20 Youth Parliament was the role of the Finance and Fiscal Commission (FFC) in ensuring that government's medium-term budget commitments effectively make provision for the youth development agenda. The FFC Chairperson, Dr Nombeko Mbava, noted that despite the enormous expenditure on learning and culture, unemployment is stubbornly high among the youth.
In the FFC's view this is indicative of, "some disjuncture between the investment made in preparing the youth and the actual employment outcomes", Dr Mbava said. She blamed the current learning and culture policy framework for this anomaly. "The lack of a tangible return on investment, indicated by high youth unemployment despite increased spending, indicates that the current policy approach that centres on learning and culture may not be effectively translating into the desired economic outcomes."
Of most concern for the FFC is South Africa's continuing failure to find employment for university graduates. "The underperformance in placing university students in workplaces is a major concern for youth unemployment, indicating a significant disconnect between learning through education, and gaining employment," Dr Mbava stated.
As a solution, the FFC proposed that the broader policy focus should shift from strictly educational attainment and classroom learning to practical, on-the-job training opportunities of the youth. The FFC also suggests that government entities have a critical role to play in this regard. "The commission recommends that government consider reconceptualising and reprioritising government entities to address and reduce youth unemployment through strengthening youth labour demand and job placements for the youth with the private sector," Dr Mbava noted.
Abel Mputing
17 June 2025