CAPACITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT
YOUTH EMPOWERMENTPresentation by David
Gengan: MSUNDUZI MUNICIPALITY

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National Youth Economic Empowerment Strategy
◦ To promote and support youth economic empowerment in the municipalities;
◦ To develop youth economic empowerment policies, strategies and programmes aligned with the NYEES;
◦ To mainstream youth in all their core LED and IDP programmes;
◦ To establish youth directorates/desks in the districts and local municipalities to coordinate and facilitate youth economic development activities;

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Key Performance Areas of Local Government
◦ Municipal transformation and institutional development
◦ Financial viability and management
◦ Infrastructure development and service delivery
◦ Social and economic development
◦ Good governance and community participation
This is an onerous responsibility placed on municipalities
Social and economic development is a new mandate
◦ Struggle to fulfill this mandate, especially by the smaller municipalities

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Local government is the face of government to the people
We are the point of delivery
Yet, local government, in the main, does not have the capacity to raise the financial and human resources to deliver on its mandate
Limited funding sources: property rates, profits from service charges, grants
87% of municipalities in the country are in serious financial trouble

◦ Proposed interventions:
 Improving basic education
 Assistance with job searching
 Access to start up funds for small enterprises
 Wage subsidies
 Employer subsidies
 Learnerships, apprenticeships and internships
 Improved government policies and programmes
 Targetted skills development programmes
 Career guidance and counselling
 Labour market interventions
 Private sector commitment

◦ Notwithstanding the capacity challenges faced by municipalities, there are some innovative support programmes that are being implemented in some municipalities – from case studies presented
◦ A potential major area of support is in the procurement of goods and services
 All municipalities procure goods and services
 Preferential procurement policies must reflect support for youth owned businesses
 Specific targets should be set annually, and monitored

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Community based maintenance and service delivery projects – unskilled unemployed youth, ward based
◦ Most municipalities are struggling to provide a basic level of service – refuse removal, grass cutting, road maintenance, street cleaning
Environmental management – public open spaces, alien vegetation
Increasing the number of internships, apprenticeships and learnerships

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Targetted skills training – external, in partnership with tertiary institutions
Creating a conducive environment for small business development – incentives programme
Well resourced Youth Advisory Centres
◦ Job search information access
◦ Identification of potential entrepreneurs

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Municipality has signed an MOU with the
NYDA
Local Youth Advisory Centre was re-launched in March 2012
Staffing:
◦ 3 staff members:
 Officer for Economic Development
 Officer for Career Guidance
 Officer for Outreach Programmes
The NYDA provided training for the staff

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The Advisory Centre follows the programme of the NYDA
In the main services of business support and career guidance are provided
July 2012 – 91 youth contacted the centre
◦ Computer training – 23
◦ Business support – 36
◦ Job Information – 16
Community based service projects
Skills training – ICT
Mainstreaming – capital projects

Ages 50_59
12,2%
Ages 60_64
2,0%
Ages 15_19
2,2%
Ages 20_24
10,2%
Ages 40_49
23,4%
Ages 25_29
17,7%
Ages 35_39
15,6%
Ages 30_34
16,6%

No Schooling
Abet 1
Abet 2
Abet 3
Abet 4
Grd 10/NTC I
Grd 11/NTCII
Grd 12/NTCIII
Cert/Dip (no matric)
Cert/Dip with matric
Degree
Post graduate
Total
Educational level Age
15 to 19 % 20 to 24 % 25 to 29 % 30 to 34 % 35 to 64 %
0
0
0
100
8.7
23.1
1.3
15.2
24.4
11.5
6.0
3.3
6.4
0
0.5
0.1
100
13.5
38.3
4.2
7.6
15.3
10.7
5.1
1.7
3.1
0
0.5
0.1
100
13.4
32.2
4.4
9.2
16.3
11.0
6.2
2.5
4.3
0
0.6
0.1
100
11.6
22.5
3.1
13.0
18.5
12.6
7.7
3.9
6.5
0
0.3
0.1
100
9.2
13.0
1.8
16.6
19.5
13.0
11.1
5.8
9.8

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Lack of youth development policy and strategy
Funding and human resources
Limited capacity to absorb learnerships, internships
Limited direct employment capacity
No control over the external drivers of job creation

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I want to comment on a more long term intervention – overhaul of our education and training system which is crucial to the calibre of school leavers that we are producing
◦ Teacher training and retraining
◦ Curriculum changes
 More relevant learning areas
 Vocational training
 Re-introduction of technical subjects
◦ Better skills – ethos of enterprise
◦ Discipline