Source: The Presidency

Title: Mlambo-Ngcuka: National Youth Service Programme launch

Address delivered by the Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, at the Expanded Public Works Programme National Youth Service (NYS) Programme launch, Botshabelo Stadium, Bloemfontein

Acting Premier of the Free State, Mr K Mokitlang
Minister of Public Works, Ms Thoko Didiza
MEC for Public Works, Roads and Transport
Mayor of Mangaung District Municipality and all other Mayors
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

It is an honour and privilege for me to be here with you today on such an important occasion when we launch the National Youth Service Programme.

This launch is indicative of the fact that we take seriously the pronouncements of the President. It shows that the Programme of Action of government as announced by the President drives all our efforts and initiatives to better the lives of our people.

We are gathered here today, essentially, to put to effect what the President said during the State of the Nation when he said "we will increase the number of young people engaged in the National Youth Service by at least 20 000 through 18 of our departments which have already developed plans in this regard, enrol 30 000 young volunteers in community development initiatives, and employ 5 000 young people as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme in the maintenance of government buildings; intensify efforts to integrate youth development into the mainstream of government work, including a youth co-operatives programme, and the ongoing efforts to link unemployed graduates with employment opportunities." (President Thabo Mbeki, State of the Nation Address, 9 February 2007).

In August 2004 Minister Essop Pahad, officially launched the National Youth Service Programme as a government initiative at Phillipi in the Western Cape; when our country was celebrating ten years of freedom. This official launch marked a departure from the piloting phase between 2001 and 2004, and ushered in the Integration or Mainstreaming Phase which has taken us to the intensification phase we are now celebrating in 2007 and beyond.

For the first time in 2006, National Youth Service became part of the Programme of Action of government. This was followed by the Tshwane launch of the second pillar of NYS, the National Youth Service Volunteer campaign. This took place at an opportune moment as the country observed the 30th anniversary of the Soweto 1976 uprising, a historical event which solidified the claim of young people on our history. All these developments signalled the transformation of NYS from a concept into a strategic second economy intervention with clear objectives and performance targets.

The 2004 and 2007 events stand as milestones in our efforts as a country to acknowledge the contribution made by youth in the total transformation of our society, from a state characterised by racially-motivated oppression to a non-racial, non-sexist, and democratic South Africa that truly belongs to all those who live in it, black and white. The National Youth Service will give our youth life skills; it will take the youth away from risky lifestyles; it will prepare the youth to be good citizens. We want millions of young people to acquire good leadership skills. I know that among you sit future Premiers, Chief Executive Officers, MECs, etc.

After 1994, South Africa was admitted as an equal participating member among the community of nations. The step was both a blessing and a challenge because it exposed us and our resources, not least our human resources, to international competition. With this exposure, both our expertise and enterprises were put to an acid test.

South Africa is a youthful country in Africa. Forty eight percent of the unemployed are youth. Therefore we have to fight unemployment and eradicate poverty. We need to facilitate entry of youth into the labour market and facilitate much greater opportunities for employment.

This launch therefore signals the beginning of the intensification of our integrated youth development initiatives. While this province and department are the first to launch an NYS project against the backdrop of the 2007 targets, we expect other provinces and departments to follow suit, and soon.

Thank you for your leadership. We need your participation in local, provincial and national government. You are going to work in construction, building roads, rolling out electricity, etc. As you young people you are going to assist in the health sector, in home based care, in sports and in tourism and environment.

To achieve our Joint Initiative for Priority skills Acquisition (JIPSA) goals, which tie in neatly with the objectives of this Public Works initiative we are celebrating here today, departments in all provinces and municipalities must ask themselves, why are we left behind? When are we launching our own initiatives? When do we invite the parents of young people and the communities at large to celebrate with our youth when they graduate from the projects we have supported? Young people need quality skills and occupational experience. This project promises just that. The skills revolution has begun!

By the beginning of this year, more than 10 000 young people had participated in NYS and we have set ourselves a new target to enrol additional 20 000 through a network of opportunities identified and implemented by various government departments.

In accepting this challenge, the national and provincial Departments of Public Works through their Expanded Public Works Programme and the Maintenance of Public Buildings initiative, have committed to enlisting no less than 5 000 unemployed youth, hence the launch of the project.

This important contribution to the National Youth Service takes place within the mandate of Public Works Department, whose role is critical to the goals of accelerated and shared growth and to halving unemployment and poverty by 2014.

Not only is the department responsible for the delivery and maintenance of State infrastructure, it is also required to lead, regulate, develop and transform the construction and property sectors of our economy. These sectors are key to the delivery of infrastructure necessary for South Africa's growth.

With construction output currently growing at a rate of 10% per annum, South Africa will need to double its construction output in less than 10 years, placing major responsibility on Public Works to continue to work closely with the industry to develop and unlock the skills and capacity needed to meet this growth challenge.

With construction output set to double, the industry has the potential to generate several hundred thousand further jobs by 2014, contributing significantly to the goals of shared growth. Many of those employed, will need to be skilled.

In pursuit of its mandate, the department also leads the emerging contractor development programme, creating a critical bridge between the first and second economies and enabling those previously marginalised to gain a foothold in the productive economic sectors of our country.

Government is proud that this project is launched as we move closer to celebrating the first anniversary of the death of the late Public Works Minister Stella Sigcawu. I say this because Public Works led by the late Minister, uMasitende wethu as we called her, was the 1st national department to launch an official youth service project as part of Community Based Public Works Programme in March 2001.

When she launched that trial project in Grahamstown, 420 young people from KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo participated. In 2007, we are not talking of 5 000 youths nationwide. A fitting tribute indeed to our late Minister!

The National Youth Service Programme is therefore part of the solution. It is a deliberate involvement of young men and women in activities which provide benefits to the community whilst developing the abilities of youth through service and learning.

It is a special government initiative built on an original brainchild of South African youth themselves that seeks to imbue our future leadership with patriotism, national pride and a duty to serve. Indeed, this is not unique to South Africa but as South Africans, we are going to give new meaning to the concept, and the practice of service! We are going to take community service into new heights in fulfilling our social compact as well as our commitment to the African Union Volunteers initiative.

The South African model of youth service provides opportunities for youth to participate in the programme for a period of up to 12 months depending on the training and community service quality requirements. We are not just producing skilled artisans through youth service. We are also producing productive, socially responsible and patriotic members of society.

These are the people who breathe new life into the notion of community solidarity. These are the cadres who have committed themselves to the cause of building and sustaining democracy and social cohesion. It is the values and ethics we learn through service that motivate us to care and share with others!

I would like to thank the youth here today who have been selected for this programme for their courage and commitment to service. I congratulate the political principals and government officials inside and outside Public Works for your commitment and leadership.

Let me hasten to caution you however that the job is not done yet until these young people graduate and access sustainable livelihood opportunities. The job will remain half-done until every municipality in this country implement its own youth service project.

I can assure the youth that your hard work will pay off, and the skills you will acquire will benefit you for the rest of your lives. So grab this opportunity with both hands and help us make it a success. I am sure you are looking forward to the year ahead and am confident that you will all complete this programme and from there move into successful careers in the Built Environment sector.

I thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency
14 April 2007