NYDA: DA Youth calls on Zuma to dissolve board

The Democratic Alliance (DA) Youth today calls on President Zuma to dissolve the current board of the National Youth Developmnent Agency (NYDA) as a direct consequence of that board using the agency for the party political work of the ANCYL and not for youth development as envisioned by the agency’s founding legislation. Yesterday, the ANCYL openly admitted that the recent World Festival of Youth and Students, a shameful farce hosted in South Africa at the end of last year, was an ANCYL event. In the ANCYL National Executive Committee Lekgotla Statement, ANCYL spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said:

“In 2010, the ANC Youth League held its 1st ever National General Council and hosted the World Festival of Youth and Students.”

The DA Youth has said repeatedly that this was an ANC Youth League event, since the ANC Youth League, not the National Youth Development Agency, put in the original bid to host the World Festival of Youth and Students. The distinction here is critical as it is completely inappropriate for the national government to sponsor party political events. There is a necessary distinction between party and state in democratic societies that ensures that any elected government uses public funds and resources to serve all the people, not just its card-carrying members.

That the NYDA has chosen to ignore this distinction is a fault that can be laid at the feet of the board. The board’s members, appointed by the president upon recommendation from Parliament, are responsible for executing the mission of the agency as defined by the National Youth Development Agency Act of 2008. Indeed, to that end, President Zuma said, upon the agency’s establishment on Youth Day in 2009:

‘The Agency has a lot of work to do. It has to develop an Integrated Youth Development Plan and Strategy without delay. It must initiate, design, co-ordinate, evaluate and monitor all programmes aimed at integrating the youth into the economy and society in general.

We expect the Agency to initiate programmes directed at poverty alleviation, urban and rural development and the combating of crime, substance abuse and social decay amongst youth.

This means that the Agency will work with various government departments that work in these areas, to improve the quality of life of our young people.’

These priorities, defined in the act and highlighted by the President, have been completely betrayed by the current board. Whatever the future of this agency, which we in the DA Youth had given every chance to succeed, there can be no doubt that at least at present, the current board can no longer be allowed to continue to serve.

The NYDA Act gives the President power to remove any member of the board as contemplated in Section 10, 4 of the Act:

‘The President may suspend a member from office any time after the start of the proceedings of Parliament for the removal of a member.’

A great deal of money has gone to supporting the ANCYL’s social calendar. The National Lottery Fund alone gave R40 million to this event. Our caucus in the national parliament is still receiving parliamentary replies from other government departments on how much money was given from the different departments. We know that the presidency gave R29 million and the Department of Arts and Culture gave R3 million. This is already at least R72 million of public funds that was spent on an ANC Youth League party.

If President Zuma wishes to prevent this agency from being associated with the failures of its predecessors, namely the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission, then he should act decisively to demonstrate that it is not a sophisticated money laundering operation for the ANCYL. He should dissolve the board immediately.

Media enquiries:

Makashule Gana
DA Youth Leader
082 773 4755

Aimee Franklin
DA Youth Director
072 232 0127