RUSTENBURG, NORTH WEST – Minister of Social Development Dina Pule has called on South Africa’s young people to reject hopelessness and instead invest their energy in building a better future for themselves and the country.
Speaking at the opening of a three-day Youth Summit at Orion Safari Lodge in Rustenburg on Wednesday, Pule urged young people to persevere despite the many social and economic challenges they face.
“Even when you fall due to social ills and other challenges, you must never give up but keep trying until you make things right. Your destiny is not determined by your current circumstances, but by how you rise to greater heights,” she said.
Held under the theme “Economic Uprising for the Next 50 Years: Partnerships for Skills, Jobs, and Youth Development,” the summit aims to empower young people through entrepreneurship, skills development, education and strategic partnerships.
During the summit, the CEO of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), Themba Matlou, encouraged young people receiving the R370 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant to use it as seed capital to start small businesses. He said SASSA wants to help move young people from dependency to becoming active contributors to the economy.
Matlou also encouraged the formation of youth-led cooperatives, highlighting opportunities such as school uniform manufacturing projects that could receive support.
Participants will spend the next two days attending workshops, networking with industry leaders and exploring exhibition stands designed to expose them to opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Chief Director for Youth Development in the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Dr Bernice Hlagala, said this year’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Youth Uprising should inspire young people to overcome challenges such as mental health issues, teenage pregnancy and unemployment.
She further encouraged young people to pursue careers in scarce skills sectors, including the Ocean Economy, Engineering, Construction and Manufacturing.
South Africa is this year marking 50 years since the historic 1976 Youth Uprising, when thousands of young people bravely protested against the compulsory use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools. Many paid the ultimate price, laying the foundation for the democratic South Africa achieved in 1994.
The summit also showcased inspiring success stories from young entrepreneurs.
Tebogo Mogatle, a beneficiary of the INDLELA Youth Partnership funded by the German Development Bank, shared how he built a successful business that now employs three people, encouraging fellow young people to create opportunities through hard work and entrepreneurship.
Another participant, Buhle Xulu from KwaZulu-Natal, spoke about establishing the Difference Makers Youth Organisation after receiving soft skills training. He later completed a Property Maintenance Programme, focused on digital skills development, trained more than 300 young people, and represented South African youth in Shanghai, China, through the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
The Youth Summit continues over the next two days with a strong focus on equipping young people with practical skills, creating employment opportunities and building partnerships that will contribute to South Africa’s economic growth.