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The DA Youth will tomorrow attend the National Youth Convention in Kimberley arranged by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) to consult stakeholders on the draft Integrated Youth Development Strategy (IYDS). The development of the IYDS is a legislated mandate as per NYDA Act 54 of 2008 section 3 (a) and sets out the broad national strategy for youth development in South Africa.

The DA Youth is of the opinion that the IYDS in its current draft form is a well-researched document that proposes clear solutions to the myriad problems facing young people. We would like to highlight the following positions put forward in the draft, which adhere closely to DA policy:

1) Expropriation of land without compensation will significantly harm foreign investment, threaten food security and fall foul of the South African Constitution and judicial system, as well as various United Nations Conventions.
2) With the rising costs of social assistance grants nearing R120 billion, wage subsidies are a useful relief measure. The DA Youth has for some time been advocating for the introduction of a youth wage subsidy as a means to alleviate youth unemployment.
3) With a 30-year investment backlog in the mining industry, mine nationalisation is not a viable option for addresing the challenges of poverty and unemployment.
4) Labour laws should be relaxed to create more opportunties for the youth to gain on-the-job experience, and to facilitate access to jobs for the unemployed.

This represents a marked departure from the NYDA’s previously held positions on a number of key policy issues. A fundamental debate is currently unfolding across various platforms in South Africa on the nature of our economy and, importantly, on how to jumpstart it. On the one side, there are those who wish to enhance state control over the economy, the result of which can only be to stunt growth and reduce the prospect of creating jobs. This is the approach advocated by Cosatu, the ANC Youth League, and certain factions within the ANC.

In the DA, however, we believe that, in order for the economy to grow and for jobs to be created, the state must embrace policies that encourage investment, create more job opportunities, and ensure that more South Africans are able to contribute actively to the economy. This is something the Zuma administration has thus far failed to do. While the emphasis on social security is important, real growth can ultimately only be generated by the market. We believe the IYDS is a step in the right direction to achieve this.

The DA Youth will be represented at the National Youth Convention by Federal Executive member and Gauteng DA Youth Leader, Lebo More, who will be engaging with the NYDA and other youth formations on the proposed IYDS, and will endeavour to ensure the inclusion of its market-driven policies. Lebo will be avaliable for comment during the Convention and can be reached on 073 143 7508.