Deputy Speaker, out of the four findings of the report, there are three that raise serious concerns about why the President has still not approved the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, board. The National Youth Development Agency has been without a board for the larger part of this year. My question is: How is an entity supposed to function effectively without a guiding authority?
The DA Youth wrote to the President in August this year, expressing its concern about the situation. We received acknowledgment of receipt at the beginning of September indicating that our concerns are noted and will be brought to the attention of the President. We are approaching the end of November and there is still no functional NYDA board.
We also object to the draft proposal that the board should comprise primarily of the ANC and its alliance partners' members' representatives. It is our considered opinion that the board should be demographically representative. The board must, in essence, represent civil society and businesses. If you look at the findings, it talks about the lack of dialogue amongst the youth of South Africa. This is a clear indication and also a major reason why the NYDA is largely politicised.
The National Youth Development Agency also experienced challenges with regard to the recouping of loans. We are talking about R160 million that has been written off and it is completely unacceptable to us. Also, the 40% of the total budget regarding personnel costs is of great concern to us. We cannot condone a report for a completely dysfunctional entity, which is without any executive body to manage its funds. I thank you. [Applause.]