Johannesburg — As the nation reflects on the historic 1976 Soweto Uprising, Nonceba Mhlauli used her ANC Youth Day address to confront the pressing crisis of youth unemployment. The party’s Acting National Spokesperson emphasized the urgent need to bridge the gap between political liberation and tangible economic freedom for the next generation.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the June 16 uprisings—where students bravely protested the racist imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction—Mhlauli offered a deeply personal perspective on the milestone. Noting that she had only exited the official youth demographic bracket two weeks prior, she described herself as a direct product of the 1976 generation’s sacrifices. Her own trajectory, which included attending a no-fee school, accessing higher education in her preferred language, and ultimately becoming a graduate, serves as a testament to the foundational rights fought for five decades ago.
However, the focus quickly shifted from educational access to harsh economic realities. Referencing the President’s recent address at the FNB Stadium during the national government celebrations, Mhlauli outlined a stark paradox. While the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has successfully supported 5.5 million beneficiaries, the labor market remains unforgiving. Graduate youth unemployment currently sits at 10.3%, while the broader youth unemployment rate has reached a staggering 47%. The critical mandate now is to build robust pathways that transition young people from learning institutions directly into earning opportunities.
To dismantle these barriers, several state interventions are being leveraged. Mhlauli highlighted the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, a centralized mechanism designed to streamline empowerment efforts. She also pointed to the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), which has opened applications for 100,000 young people to join the national youth service program. Furthermore, the government is prioritizing support for youth-owned small businesses and restructuring the internship and learnership landscape. The goal is to eradicate the cycle where young people accumulate multiple certificates over several years without ever securing sustainable, permanent employment.
These efforts have not been without scrutiny. Addressing recent criticisms leveled by Ndula, who argued that government initiatives appear fragmented and lack a unified process for taking stock of progress, Mhlauli strongly pushed back. Speaking in her capacity as the Deputy Minister in the Presidency overseeing the youth employment intervention, she explained that the very purpose of her portfolio is to eliminate such fragmentation. She detailed how the intervention centrally coordinates efforts across multiple departments, including Higher Education and Training, Small Business Development, Public Works, and Employment and Labour.
To prove the efficacy of this centralized approach, Mhlauli announced that the Quarter 4 results—covering the period ending in March—will be published later this week. These comprehensive figures will be aggregated directly from the various participating government departments, providing a clear, unified metric of the strides being made. She further noted that this coordinated strategy extends beyond the public sector, incorporating vital partnerships with private-sector initiatives like the Youth Employment Service (YES) program to ensure a holistic attack on joblessness.