Youth, unemployment and the South African dream

By Haji Mohamed Dawjee

While youth unemployment is an issue in South Africa, today's youth are not up to doing just about anything to make it, writes Haji Mohamed Dawjee.

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) recently announced that youth unemployment in the country has fallen to 36.1% – a 3.4% ...

Young MPs reflect on youth day and issues affecting young people

With youth day on Monday, 16 June 2014, People’s Assembly decided to chat to two of Parliaments youngest MPs, the IFP’s 26-year-old Mkhuleko Hlengwa and 24-year-old Yusuf Cassim from the DA.

When asked what June 16th means to him, Hlengwa replied: “Youth day is still a reminder [about] where we ...

The Basic Income Grant: Should we go BIG or not?

On Thursday, 22 May, Budget Expenditure Monitoring Forum (BEMF), Section 27 and Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC) hosted a Budget Justice Seminar. At the Seminar, Isobel Frye from the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute presented an interesting study on social grants in the 2014 budget and the forgotten ...

Democracy discussion = conversation about left-wing opposition

Political analysts Eusebius McKaiser and Adam Habib and political activist Mike van Graan discussed the topic “Does Democracy Work?” at the Franschoek Literary Festival on Sunday, 18 May, chaired by author, Peter Harris.

Harris kicked off by asking van Graan why he had recently written a Thought Leader article in ...

Conservative spending or widening the deficit?

Today, the Select Committee on Appropriations received a post-budget presentation from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), focusing on various factors affecting revenue and expenditure as well as the country’s economic growth, which is predicted to be quite low over the next three years. The question also arose as to whether ...

Sneak Peak: Proposed amendments to unemployment insurance act

Today, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Labour was made privy to the Department of Labour’s proposed amendments to the Unemployment Insurance Act (ACT No. 63 of 2001). While the Bill still has to be officially introduced to the National Assembly by Cabinet, acting Deputy Director-General, Thembinkosi Mkhaliphi, on behalf of Minister ...

Breaking down the budget: Your Minister on job creation and social spending

On Wednesday, 26 February, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan tabled the Budget in Parliament. The national budget is essentially the announcement of government’s estimated spending (dividing state coffers between the three ties of the state), borrowing and tax plans for the forthcoming three years.

Nene-Gordhan Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has a word ...

SWEAT stages protest during WEGE parliamentary meeting

In parliament on Wednesday 29 January, during public hearings on the controversial Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (WEGE) Bill to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) staged a demonstration in the committee room where Minister Lulu Xingwana was in ...

Employment Tax Incentive Bill passed after three-year battle

The Employment Tax Incentive Bill has finally been passed by Parliament after a three-year battle between the National Treasury and trade unions over the youth wage subsidy. The Bill addresses the high levels of youth unemployment in South Africa by offering a wage subsidy for young workers between the ages ...