PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged that youth unemployment is a serious problem, but has assured the nation the government has plans to address it.
Addressing the main Youth Day celebration in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, on Thursday, 16 June, the president called on young people of today to be inspired by the 1976 generation to look beyond their immediate circumstances and pursue their dreams while creating livelihoods through business ideas.
Ramaphosa said the country needed patriotic young people who would actively serve Mzansi and defend the gains of its hard-won democracy.
“At this moment in the life of our nation, we need visionary young people who are united and focused on improving our communities and building our economy,” he said.
“We need young people who have discovered their generational mission and who are determined never to betray it.
“Our young people need to take the lead in building a more humane society – a society that treats people with disabilities with dignity.
“We are deeply concerned about the number of young people falling into depression and taking their own lives.
“Now more than ever, we need youth to show ubuntu and kindness towards their peers.”
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Speaking to a few hundred people gathered inside a tent, the president acknowledged the many challenges facing young people and partly blamed it on the legacy of apartheid, coupled with Covid-19, the July unrest last year and the recent flooding.
Ramaphosa committed government to remaining focused on far-reaching reforms and creating conditions for business to expand throughout the country.
“Alongside these measures, we are harnessing the capacity of the state to respond to the immediate needs of young people,” he said.
“It is for this reason that we announced the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, a comprehensive response to the youth unemployment challenge.
“We have also launched the Presidential Employment Stimulus, which supports public and social employment and which has created close to 880 000 job opportunities since it was established.
“A flagship initiative of the employment stimulus is the school assistants programme, which has placed 287 000 young people in schools across the country,” said Ramaphosa.
