Comrades,
I think the institutional mechanism currently established, as the National Youth Development Agency, was a natural response to challenges of youth development mainstreaming in our country. It is based on the weaknesses experiences, and opportunities identified in accelerating the implementation of youth development agenda in South Africa. Firstly, I would not necessarily apportion the blame for failure to achieve effective youth development in our country, wholly to the personalities within the two already amalgamated structures, which are the National Youth Commission and Umsobomvu Youth Fund. I think the major problem was that of unclear mandate with regard to the role of NYC in achieving youth development. The report compiled by the Parliamentary Committee on the Review of Chapter 9 Institutions and Associated Institutions in 2006, which was headed by Prof. Kader Asmal, identified ambiguity of institutional mandate as a major challenge for these institutions to function effectively in achieving their intended objectives. The NYC was never established as an implementing agency in the first instance, but was created with the mandate of coordinating, advising, advocacy, lobbying, monitoring and evaluation for youth development amongst the implementing agencies, which include government departments, municipalities, private sector and civil society. The main problem that led to the failure of NYC to realize its objectives is because there was no complementary structure within the Presidency that could ensure that government departments, municipalities and other agencies take serious its advice and recommendations. In brief, the NYC was never taken serious by government departments. Secondly, one cannot dispute the fact that the clash of personalities also contributed towards the failure of NYC to carry-out its mandate. Permanent tension that emerged between the ANCYL and NYC immediately after the appointment of the previous NYC commissioners, as a result of the sidelining of the ANCYL and broader PYA structures by the Presidency, under Essop Pahad, in the appointment of commissioners created an impression that there is a deliberate effort to undermine the leadership of the ANCYL and that of the broader PYA on youth development issues. We therefore ended-up with the NYC that had no blessings from the PYA structures. This was unfortunate because even discussions regarding the transformation of institutional mechanism for youth development were to a larger extent influenced by the sour relations that existed between the PYA structures and the NYC. What exacerbated the situation was when certain individuals within both the NYC and UYF treated these institutions as their personal chiefdom, whilst others used them to exert their personal influence through dispatching patronage through the appointments of officials and awarding of tenders, even the disbursement of the UYF funds. Thirdly, the fact that South Africa has achieved extensively in developing comprehensive youth development policies, strategies and institutions, but we have not moved at a desirable speed towards achieving actual implementation of youth development mainstreaming. There is an apparent disjuncture between institutions tasked with policy development and coordination, and those expected to actualize the implementation of those policies and strategies. We have had the NYC developing sound youth development policies and strategies, but unfortunately government departments, municipalities and many other implementing agencies have not been responding well to these policy advice and strategy. In brief, we have been failed by the implementation of youth development. This argument can be substantiated to by the document compiled by NYC during the National Youth Policy Convention in 2006, titled "Broad Assessment of Implementation of Youth Development". This document was a lead document in the Convention that decided on the establishment of the National Youth Development Agency, of course following the ANCYL National Congress decision on the matter. Given the above experiences, I think the cadres deployed as members of the board of National Youth Development Agency must pay more attention towards improving on communication between the NYDA and all implementing agencies in our country, through the President's Office of course. The decisions of the NYDA on youth development issues should reach the government departments as directives from the President's Office, rather than from the NYDA. The NYDA must pay more focus on policy advice, coordination of youth development work, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation by responsible agencies. The argument that the NYDA must serve as an implementing agency for youth development simply augers against the spirit of youth development mainstreaming. The NYDA, or even the Youth Ministry, will never have resources sufficient enough to implement youth development on its own. Effective youth development can only be realized if we were to ensure that its implementation is mainstreamed in all the activities of our government departments, and it must never be relegated to a certain department of agency. The temptation of implementing youth development is usually associated with the financial resources that come with it, but experience shows that this is a recipe for disaster such resources end up being misused in the process by enriching the few amongst the youth development circles. In brief, implementation of youth development must be mainstreamed if we are to truly improve the lived of the masses of the young people of our country. ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tebogo Anthony Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 9:23 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] Re: My take on the Nat. Youth Dev. Agency Cadres In the past we've had a number of merger's, private companies teaming up to offer a better service (Saambou, Allied, Volkskas & Trust Bank mergerd into ABSA), and government agencies (e.g NTSIKA & NAMAC were brought together by the small business act of 2004 to form SEDA). It did not suggest that those bodies were useless, but the intention was to move away from having too many institutions offering similar services and to gradually move to the One Stop Shop set-up where people will have one institution offering all the services under the same roof. I wouldn't neccessarily say UYF & NYC were useless bodies, they had their successes & shortcomings and the major one being that their outreach model was not up to scratch and they did not reach people in deep rural areas where poverty is at peak. Clearly the NYDA will have to develop mechanisms to ensure that it's products & services are evenly spread accross all spheres of the country, not just metropolitans. It's a fact that UYF & NYC are legacy institutions, both were killed by legislation, but not in the essence of character assisination, it was all in the spirit of continuous efforts to better the life's of young people in South Africa. For me it's quite clear that the reason for existance of the NYDA is to develop complimenting programmes to what UYF has done & to further the course; to rectify some of the shortcomings and develop new strategies to alleviate poverty amongst young people. Phambili nge NYDA Phambili!!!! On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 4:17 PM, Mduduzi H Vilakazi <[email protected]> wrote: Cdes, I am not well versed with the distinction between NYDA and the two dissolved Umsobomvu and NYC structures. However, I am made to agree with Kanego with regard to non-partisan. Nothing is wrong to deploy cadres of the revolution in government structures but we should be able to separate the ANCYL (a political structure) and NYDA (a governance structure). The launch was a warning to us that there no longer exists a separation of political structures and government. Remember, this structure shall uplift the lives of all young people irrespective of their political affiliations or non-membership to political structures. I also want to echo the same sentiments echoed by Kanego regarding the statements that the President of the ANCYL made. It cannot be correct that when a new initiative is in place, its predecessor shall be rubbished to nil. The collapsed structures registered both successes and challenges but cannot be rubbished solely to make us agree that the new structure is better than the old structures. We are yet to determine the operations of NYDA and its successes cannot be professed. As with regard to the leader of PYA, i am convinced that the issue has never been debated. Leadership is earned, worked for. Did the ANCYL dictated to lead the PYA or is it based on the weaknesses of certain PYA components with regard to mobilisation of both membership and resources. Does the ANCYL lead PYA in institutions of higher learning and further education? if not, why do they assume the leadership at national level? The debate goes on!! I pause!!!! Mduduzi Herman Vilakazi Internal Auditor Dept of P/Works, Roads and Transport Mpumalanga Province Tel: 013 766 8280 Cell: 083 357 4849 Fax: 086 544 3205 >>> "Kanego, Clarence Thete" <[email protected]> 6/17/2009 2:07 PM >>> The matter hereunder raised is welcomed and thanks for raising it. I personally as a member of the ANCYL, YCLSA and staff member of what was UYF before yesterday, have mixed impressions about the entire matter. First and foremost, yesterday's event was an ANCYL rally and the launch of NYDA and I am not sure as the YCLSA which happen to be an Ally of the same ANCYL, what are saying about that? It does not require any political education lecture or any workshop to make people aware that NYDA is not supposed to be partisan since it is a State Agency. We need to accord our own cadres who we entrust with responsibilities of power in government agencies like this NYDA to lead without any interference. The Chairperson of the NYDA spoke more as the Deputy President of the ANCYL I wonder what does that say to us the young people of the Left? For Cde president of the ANCYL to say that UYF and NYC were useless and they had inefficient staff in a public platform is problematic. UYF and NYC remains the products of our own ANC led governments. The reason for the merger of the two institutions were never about what Julius said. They were mainly because they were amongst other things; Youth Development was fragmented in the country wherein you had the two institutions interfering into each other's mandates and also that they had limitations in meeting the challenges of the youth of the country because of the manner in which they were eatablished. For instance you had the NYC with a mandate to deal with research, policy, lobby and advocacy for mainstreaming the development of youth in departments and all spheres of the state whereas the UYF had to implement youth development programmes that will create jobs and bring in youth into the mainstream of the economy by providing information, career advice and guidance, business counslling, skills, linking youth enterprises to opportunities, business vouchers and loans. Each of the latter programmes had their own challenges and successes and it will be wise for any one of us to make an informed analysis of those before concluding and declaring the entire institution as useless. I for one have allieviated a suicidal young person while working as an Manager of the Youth Advisory Centre that was in Bushbuckridge by providing counselling that produced an Engineer in Forestry later. There are so many youth I know who have accessed higher education due to the career guidance that the UYF YACs were doing. I may not say much about business funding but I know for a fact that there are so many youth who have eastablished businesses due the UYF's contribution. What should be said very clearly and of is splendidly correct is that the UYF and NYC had their own weaknesses of which some of them included some appointment of wrong people in certain senior positions. However that should not over-shadow the entire organisational success! What we need to do is to ensure that our own organisational structures are strong from branches, districts to provinces. We need to have a commission on youth development in branches that will monitor and support the Youth Advisory Centres in our Local Municipalities and encourage our youth to stop complaining and sit in their homes. NYDA will not be a success without a Strong PYA which and in particular a strong YCLSA. YCLSA should take itself serious and be listen into by the ANCYL and the big brother attitude towards the allies of the PYA including ourselves as YCLSA will only stop the day the YCLSA will have strong organised structures like in Limpopo and Northern Cape provinces! Aluta! On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 12:12 PM, frank talk <[email protected]> wrote: Revolutionary greetings Cdes Indeed, the leaders of the League and the Republic, Malema and the Hon. Mzholozi, have spoken. However, without sounding too pessimistic, I am still not sure how are going to rid the new agency of the chronic inefficiencies that have characterized its predecessors such as the NYC and UYF. This is informed by the fact that it seems we still have the same individuals who were leading these dysfunctional organisations at the helm of this brainchild. Poor performance of the former agencies can't be divorced from their poor leadership. As much as we need experience but experience can't be overemphasized at the expense of efficiency and ultimately the success of the NYDA less we risk a one step forward two steps backward approach. We need accountable administrators who are well versed with youth issues, good governance and effective administrative functions. I'm of the view that the primary purpose for the creation of the NYDA was not to secure jobs for some pen-pushers but to render tangible service to the youth of this country with the formally marginalized youth being the first priority. Now the question is what we do before such sluggards find yet another comfort zone in this new agency that carries the hopes and aspirations of millions of poor young people out there in the bundus. The second issue is that of location. If we entertain hopes of having a youth agency that is directly responsive to the needs of millions of unemployed and poor young people in our country then I would like to believe that the NYDA should have one-stop (info & advice) centres spread out in a decentralized fashion right where the majority of these young people, i .e. townships and rural areas. However, in order for the new administration to achieve this it needs to send government officials to hold consultative indabas with young people so as to get their views as to what is it that they expect from this new agency; unlike in the past where the dominant practice was top-down management style. Lastly, if we say Socialism is the future then the thrust is on us to work for a successful NYDA by engaging government structures such as this NYDA and other departments to be responsive to issues affecting young people in their respective communities. As young Communists let's wage the struggle at all angles with whatever weapon we have at our hands (guided by dialectical materialism of course); we need to be constructively vocal and participative so that we realize the state of Socialism. Yours in the Struggle, Talk Frank Socialism is the Future; Build It Now!!! This message and any attachments relating to official business of the Mpumalanga Provincial Government (MPG) is proprietary to the MPG and intended for the original addressee only. The message may contain information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender. If you receive this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately and destroy the original message. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you are hereby notified that you must not disseminate, copy, use, distribute, or take any action in connection therewith. 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