CAPACITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT-Presentation 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
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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:
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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
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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
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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
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Community based service projects
Skills training – ICT
Mainstreaming – capital projects
Ages 60_64
2.0%
Ages 50_59
12.2%
Ages 15_19
2.2%
Ages 20_24
10.2%
Ages 25_29
17.7%
Ages 40_49
23.4%
Ages 35_39
15.6%
Ages 30_34
16.6%
Educational level
Age
15 to 19
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
%
20 to 24
%
25 to 29
%
30 to 34
%
35 to 64
%
6.0
5.1
6.2
7.7
11.1
3.3
1.7
2.5
3.9
5.8
6.4
3.1
4.3
6.5
9.8
15.2
7.6
9.2
13.0
16.6
24.4
15.3
16.3
18.5
19.5
11.5
10.7
11.0
12.6
13.0
8.7
13.5
13.4
11.6
9.2
23.1
38.3
32.2
22.5
13.0
1.3
4.2
4.4
3.1
1.8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.3
0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
100
100
100
100
100
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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
THANK YOU