The Democratic Alliance (DA) Youth supports the Young Communist League’s (YCL) call for President Zuma to intervene and depoliticize the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and make it more representative of youth identification. The DA Youth notes with dismay the composition of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Provincial Advisory Boards announced on Wednesday, of which the overwhelming majority are ANC Youth League office bearers. This sends the wrong message about how independent bodies should be staffed and creates the impression that the NYDA is nothing more than a patronage machine for Youth League aspirants.
The NYDA is supposed to be an independent body that promotes the interests of South Africa’s youth. The Provincial Advisory Boards, which advise the NYDA board on programmes of action in their respective provinces, should represent a cross-section of youth organisations from both civil society and political parties. But with the Provincial Advisory Boards stacked with ANCYL members, they are unlikely to fulfil their mandate in a fair and independent way. They will be beholden to the structure that ultimately “deployed” them, the Youth League.
The NYDA has already been exposed as a place where ANCYL members can get rich. The NYDA CEO, Steven Ngubeni, is the deputy-secretary general of the ANCYL, earning R1.8 million per year, despite the NYDA’s weak performance. His salary rivals Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe’s. ANC YL deputy-president Andile Lungisa earns almost R800 000 for his role as NYDA executive chairman. And in total, the 12 executive operating officers earned about R11 million last year, the same amount the Auditor General stated the Agency had accumulated in “irregular expenditure.”
With this kind of casual dominance of the NYDA, it’s no wonder the ANCYL simply stacked the provincial advisory boards with their cronies. We’ve seen this before from its parent organization in national, provincial and municipal government. But cadre deployment doesn’t serve the interests of the youth. We require a clean, efficient, and capable administration that can help develop the youth, not one that can only meet 15 of its 62 targets (a 24% “success” rate for last year). With reports coming in that the NYDA is already a stage for ANCYL faction disputes, we wonder whether it will be able to really achieve anything meaningful at all.
South African youth, who too often carry the burden of a poor education and face the prospects of long-term unemployment, need a serious government commitment. The NYDA was supposed to be that commitment. But the Agency’s credibility has been compromised by cadre deployment, delayed provincial advisory board appointments, and pathetic performance.
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Makatisane Papo says:
I think as much as we agree with YCL we must be carefully not to be caught between their affairs as YCL vs ANCYL as recent booing of each other in their conference and not forgetting their ideological differences. Our democratic view should be clearly distinguished from socialists who are capitalists in day to day business with an out-date agenda of socialism in the 21 century politics;It does not make sense to deploy ANC cards carriers in the National Agency and expect performance, it proven in all spheres that they can’t deliver. The problem with agencies across the country is a lack leadership not a political directions because as young people we don’t want a political power we need an economical power and we are pressed by reality around us such as unemployment , HIV/AIDS, the collapse education system, access/funding to university education not a party membership or salaries of individuals within a certain institution. We should take try to redirect NYDA not to entertain issues of salaries of executive but direct the agency objectively. I doubt whether Mr. Zuma/presidency office is capable of leading the development of young people in country, we all know that Mr. president is indecisive of character and he only uses charm approach.
Makatisane Papo says:
After listening to the youth leaders interview at Motsweding FM yesterday, I can safely conclude that NYDA will not execute is mandate as stipulated because its National board and Provincial boards are elected based on political affiliation not competence, although NW YCL member and COPE representative belief that most of young people don’t understand the role of NYDA comparing it to previous structures Youth commissions & Umsomubuvu for me its not an understanding of the role of NYDA, but given the current competence of boards which are in accountable to parliament/ portfolio committee in the country, there are high possibility that the NYDA board will just follow incompetence trend of other boards. The fact that the board is a political appointed but not a youth developmental board based on track record of individual expertise I doubt whether the board will deliver according to target sets and its mandate. I belief that a board member understand the fully role of the board if and only if that particular person that selflessness leadership and what is expect from him. I suggest that all national & provincial board members should read an article about leadership every Wednesday in the Workplace last page maybe they will understand that to be in a board leadership is not about power struggle but arriving young people to a common goal in this case is “development”.