A message from our founder

OHO understands the potential of South Africa’s youth and have dedicated itself to preserving Africa’s future by working in support of the youth.

The type of marginalisation faced by the youth of today necessitates youth-targeted interventions that will enable young people’s active participation and engagement in both the society and the economy. The marginalization of young people is primarily manifested in high youth unemployment. In a job-scarce environment, joining the world of work is particularly difficult for young people. This is not just a local problem –in 2013 the International Labor Organisation (ILO) estimated that, at a global level 73.4 million young people who want to work and are actively looking for a job cannot find one. About one of every two young people (52.9%) is unemployed or a discouraged work seeker, and not enrolled at an educational institution _ (ILO 2013)

Young people are major human resource for development, often acting as key agents for social change, economic expansion and innovation. Their imagination, ideas, energy and vision are essential for the continuous development of society. Therefore, both public and private sector, in recognition of the vital role young people play in building South Africa, should seek to ensure that there are processes and opportunities that allow young people to develop and realise their potential. And the government should avoid quick fixes that divert attention from complex institutional and systematic issues that needs to be addressed. Instead, it should seek to develop capabilities as part of a long-term solution, which will open opportunities for the youth to participate in and take advantage of what South Africa and our province, in particular, has to offer.

To enhance Youth Economic Participation and transformation:
Government should engage with large companies to set clear commitments to opening up the workplace to young people needing internships, apprenticeship and work-integrated learning opportunities. All legislation, codes and charts that flow from the BBBEE Act (2013) should be aligned to ensure that state procurement is used more effectively to advance socio-economic targets in certain geographies and industries. The should be statutory body to regulate BBBEE verification, and the Department of Trade and Industry should be empowered to revoke the accreditation status of accredited verification agencies that deviate from officially defined process of accreditation. The National Empowerment Fund must be adequately resourced to support small and medium – sized black enterprises, as well as new black industrialists and entrepreneurs.

Programmes to support and develop youth enterprise and cooperatives should focus on access to opportunities in different sectors of the economy:
Enterprise education and training Business development Mentoring and incubation Funding and finance Access to market
The Department of Small Business Development should develop mass youth enterprise creation programme to encourage and support young entrepreneurs, particularly in rural areas. The government should also review the process of registering cooperatives and youth enterprises to remove blockage and reduce red tape. Interventions to promote economic participation for youth in rural areas should address issues such as access to land, poor economic and social infrastructure leading to marginalization and the lack of business skills, access to information, opportunities and markets. The Department of Agriculture and The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform should focus on improving small-scale and commercial agriculture, helping young people grow products with good market potential, and linking them to programme that offer access to land and to farmer-to-farmer skills transfer and training.

The desired outcome is empowered young people who are able to realise their full potential and understand their roles and responsibilities in making a meaningful contribution to the development of a prosperous South Africa. Young people should be considered as agents of change, not passive recipients of government services.

Ronny Makgetha

Founder, Organisation Hands On