Street children and those without skills continue to face neglect and a grim future, with government catering for just 400 000 unemployed young graduates.
Calling themselves the forgotten youth, these young people often shelter under the bridges of the country’s highways.
Some support their drug habit by pushing trolleys of plastic bottles and scrap metals, acting as unofficial car guards or just simply begging.
Mpho Tsowana and Ishamel Mtyilibe have been living on the streets for years. They are now pleading with government and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) to serve all young people regardless of their status.
Meanwhile, the NYDA is tasked by government to promote youth development and entrepreneurship. Chairperson of the NYDA, Sifiso Mtsweni says programmes are in the offing for young people who are without skills and those who live on the streets.
The NYDA says its main message for the National Youth Day will be the scrapping of experience as a requirement for job placement.
It says over 400 000 young graduates are sitting at home without jobs because potential employers say they don’t have experience.
Speaking to the SABC, Sifiso Mtsweni says they also want companies to have quotas to allow young people into the job market.
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