A mid-term review of the National Youth Policy 2020 to 2030 found that poor delivery, weak coordination and funding gaps still hold young people back, Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said on Friday.
Chikunga, the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, spoke at the launch of the Mid-Term Implementation Evaluation Report in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, according to SAnews.
“Perhaps the most important conclusion of this evaluation is that South Africa does not suffer from a shortage of youth policies. Our principal challenge is implementation,” Chikunga said.
She said the review found the policy was still relevant. She said it matches the National Development Plan, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“The central finding of this evaluation is both encouraging and demanding. The National Youth Policy remains highly relevant… our challenge is no longer to restate that vision, but to translate it into consistent delivery at scale,” she said.
According to the government, the review recorded progress under all five pillars of the policy. These include wider access to education and skills, the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, the National Youth Service and the SA-Youth platform.
Chikunga said this progress must be built on so that training leads to jobs, businesses and steady incomes. “These achievements deserve recognition, but they must not become grounds for complacency,” she said.
The report comes as nearly 44% of young people are not in work, education or training, according to SAnews. Young women in rural areas are among the hardest hit.
The findings also pointed to graduates who struggle to find work and young business owners who cannot get finance or reach markets. Young people facing poverty, drug abuse, violence and exclusion were also mentioned.
The report raised concerns about mental health. It said support programmes exist, but they do not reach young people equally.
Chikunga listed the main problems as split institutions, uneven services, weak coordination, poor accountability, patchy monitoring and tight budgets.
For the second half of the policy period, she set out five priorities. They are better funded youth institutions, real youth participation, more paths into work, a focus on youth wellbeing and stronger accountability for results.
The Minister said the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) must be strengthened. She said it needs better governance, wider provincial and local reach, and stronger digital services.
She said the NYDA must also get enough steady funding, tied to a clear mandate and measurable outcomes. This would let it expand business support, skills programmes and youth service opportunities.
Chikunga said government and its partners must open new paths into jobs and business. She named the digital economy, artificial intelligence, creative industries, the green economy, farming, manufacturing and the oceans economy.
She also called for mental health services, psychosocial support and safer communities to be treated as part of youth development.
The launch falls in the year of the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Youth Uprisings. Chikunga said the review should form the basis of a national compact to move from scattered projects to coordinated delivery.
Source: this article is based on reporting by SAnews.gov.za. Image: GCIS via SAnews.gov.za. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.