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Youth

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa Emphasizes Combatting Youth Unemployment, Expands Education, Healthcare and Governance Initiatives

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the importance of tackling youth unemployment, a primary challenge facing the nation, with large-scale programs to provide young people with income opportunities, skills development, and work experience. In his 2025/2026 financial year budget address, the President emphasized the significance of education in fighting poverty and launched initiatives such as the Basic Education Employment Initiative, SAYouth.mobi, and the Youth Employment Service (YES) to address unemployment.

Key Takeaways:

  • Approximately 3.8 million young people out of 10.3 million aged 15-24 are not in employment, education, or training.
  • The Basic Education Employment Initiative has created over 1 million posts for young people to serve as school assistants in over 2,000 schools.
  • The SAYouth.mobi platform, launched in 2020, has registered over 4.7 million young people and provided access to over 1.67 million earning opportunities.
  • The Youth Employment Service (YES) has provided over 190,000 young people with year-long work experience opportunities.
  • The President confirmed the implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, expansion of vocational training, and broader access to higher education through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
  • The NSFAS is supporting over 800,000 university and TVET college students, providing opportunities to young people that will transform the economy and society.
  • The government is addressing the poor state of health facilities and hiring more professionals, permanently employing community health workers to prepare for the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI).
  • The President emphasized the importance of building a capable and corruption-resistant state, with the adoption of the Public Service Commission Bill, enhancing the independence and effectiveness of the Public Service Commission.

Statistics:

  • 3.8 million young people (aged 15-24) are not in employment, education, or training.
  • Over 1 million posts have been created for young people as school assistants in over 2,000 schools.
  • Over 4.7 million young people are registered on the SAYouth network.
  • Over 1.67 million earning opportunities have been accessed by young people through SAYouth.mobi.
  • Over 190,000 young people have gained year-long work experience opportunities through the YES programme.
  • The NSFAS is supporting over 800,000 university and TVET college students.
  • R753 million has been allocated to the Department of Health to help bridge the shortfall caused by the United States' decision to cut HIV and TB grants.

Sources:

  • SAnews.gov.za
  • Government of South Africa
  • President Cyril Ramaphosa's 2025/2026 financial year budget address
  • National Treasury
  • Public Finance Management Act (PFMA)
  • South African National AIDS Council
  • SAYouth.mobi
  • Youth Employment Service (YES)

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