Hon Speaker, joblessness among our youth currently stands at around 50%. This, coupled with the fact that our education system has dismally failed to prepare our youth adequately for the job market, paints a dismal picture. However, the situation is aggravated by the fact that the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, tasked with driving youth development in South Africa, is limp and without a cause.
The IFP has been a very vocal critic of the NYDA. We have even gone as far as calling on the President to dissolve the NYDA, and to establish a youth Ministry to look after the interests of all the youth of our country and not just the few selected and connected ANC youth.
The IFP has received the backing of an independent economist, Vince Musewe, who noted this week that:
It is disturbing to note that despite the claim that the NYDA is apolitical, it is clearly behaving as a de facto wing of the ANC Youth League and therefore cannot be treated as an independent entity with genuine interest in the development of South African youth in general. The fact of the matter is that the NYDA is effectively using taxpayer funds to further the agenda of a political party-typical ZANU (PF) style.
The IFP believes that Musewe has hit the nail on the head. As long as the development of the youth remains the affair of the NYDA only, youth unemployment will remain a ticking time bomb. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]