President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for targeted programmes to assist unemployed youth. This is contained in his political overview of the three-day virtual ANC Lekgotla which started earlier on Saturday until Monday.
The meeting is attended by ANC members deployed in government including ministers and their deputies, directors-general and mayors among others.
South Africa’s youth unemployment has reached crisis proportion. In his Political Overview to the ANC Lekgotla, President Ramaphosa said over 62% of those who have applied for the R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant are young people between the ages of 18 and 35.
He said this is a testimony that unemployment is rife among young people.
And with almost R27 billion set aside for this course, the president implored ANC delegates comprising of heads of government departments, to interrogate how long can the National Treasury sustain the payment of measures like the Social Relief of Distress Grant and how feasible will it be to terminate the grant in March 2022.
He also urged them to develop programmes to help the unemployed and young people, in particular, to enter the job market and become more self-sufficient.
DISCUSSION: Youth unemployment in SA: Kgotsi Chikana
Earlier, Ramaphosa said the ANC needed to prepare to address the allegations of corruption against party leaders and members that will be contained in the State Capture Commission’s report that is expected to be made public next month.
Delivering a political overview at the three-day virtual ANC’s National Executive Committee’s Lekgotla that is currently under way, Ramaphosa also implored NEC members and those deployed in government to engage and implement the recommendations that would come out of the Zondo Commission’s report.
Ramaphosa says there is a palatable feeling of anger and disillusionment with government that the ruling party should not underestimate.
