Address
by the Honourable Jeff Radebe, MP, Minister in the Presidency for Planning,
Monitoring and Evaluation; on the occasion of the announcement of business support
for the NDP Youth Brand Ambassadors programme; 114 West Wing, Union Buildings,
Pretoria
17
NOVEMBER 2017
Thank
you, Programme Director:
The
NDP Youth Ambassadors
Calvin
Theko from Liquid Telecom
Zipporah
Maubane, representing Altron
Charmaine
Houvet from Cisco
Business
Leaders present here
Our
NDP Youth Ambassadors
Ladies
and Gentlemen,
It
is my immense pleasure to welcome you back to the Union Buildings. We have met
on several occasions before, talking about the NDP Youth Brand Ambassadors
programme and the need for business support in our development endeavours.
I
am delighted that today we are not here to discuss ideas, but to announce
practical steps that have been taken towards the fulfilment of our common
vision. We are here to witness the realisation of some of our dreams and
aspirations, which we have shared over the past couple of months.
As
a way of giving background to our gathering today, allow me to draw from some
of our engagements this year. Following the South African Youth Awards (SAYA) held
in March, we indicated that we will be establishing the NDP Youth Brand Ambassador
Programme as an intervention to ensure that youth are part and parcel of
developmental endeavours in our society.
We
made it clear that the recognition of youth should not be a once-off event. It
would be meaningless to only recognise youth and not empower them to develop
and flourish in their vocation. The
recognition of the positive contribution that young people make in society
should enhance their ability to run successful businesses and develop their
communities.
The
youth are the main drivers of change in society and ought to be at the
forefront of the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP) as the
long-term vision of the country. The youth are an integral part of our Vision
2030. We must empower them to be the champions of growth and development in our
society.
It
is against this backdrop that we established the NDP Youth Brand Ambassador
programme. The NDP Youth Brand Ambassador Programme was conceived as an
intervention aimed at promoting youth entrepreneurship to boost economic
growth, increase employment, and reduce poverty and inequality. We envisioned
the programme as a significant contributor towards the attainment of the national
imperatives of creating an inclusive and more dynamic economic landscape.
We
now have a total of 37 NDP Youth Brand Ambassadors who have been selected from
a variety of fields. These young people are some of the most outstanding
innovators, investors, entrepreneurs and career trailblazers in our country.
They are remarkable achievers in their respective fields selected from different
provinces across South Africa.
On
the occasion of the launch of the NDP Youth Brand Ambassadors programme on 28
September, I reiterated my call to business to support this noble venture. It
has always been my fervent desire that government, business and civil society
organisations work together to combat youth unemployment.
We
met with captains of the industry on 1 September 2017, including Cisco, Liquid
Telecom and Altron, amongst others, to introduce the NDP Youth Brand Ambassador
Programme to the business sector with the view to fostering partnerships for
youth empowerment. Barely a week later, we received positive feedback from the
corporate sector.
I
am pleased to say that this programme is already yielding positive results. Our
presence here today is testament that my pleas for partnerships have not fallen
onto deaf ears. Business is beginning to respond positively to my call for
partnership.
Ladies
and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to announce that Cisco, Altron, Liquid Telecom,
Proudly SA, PRIMEDIA, Multichoice and NYDA have officially joined partnership
with the DPME. They have embraced our vision and are committed to providing
support to our NDP Youth Brand Ambassadors programme. They are both very clear
about how they want to support this initiative.
Cisco,
with whom we have been traveling this journey from inception, have committed
more than R300 000 (Three Hundred thousand rand) in-kind contribution to
the entire programme. They also offer seven free online training courses
including in the following subjects: Digital Literacy, Entrepreneurship, and
Cybersecurity Essentials, among others.
Our
brand new partner, Altron, has offered mentorship to four of the NDP Youth
Brand Ambassadors. The selected ambassadors for this programme are as follows:
1) Dr Lungi Sitole
2)
Ms Thulile Khanyile,
3)
Mr Lubabalo Tybosch
4) Mr
Michael Mojalefa Tlhoaele
While
we recognise that these ambassadors are already making a difference in their
respective fields, they stand to gain more experience through the mentorship
programme. The mentorship programme is intended at enhancing their business
skills and nurture their talent so that it benefits the broader society.
They
will gain unique and invaluable insights beyond their own education and
experience. Experience is something that can never be bought and this is what
Altron offers our ambassadors. They will be exposed to business practice in a
similar industry as their own, which will ultimately provide a greater
understanding of the way in which business in that field operates. Thank you
Altron for offering this opportunity to our ambassadors!
On
the other hand, Ladies and Gentlemen, Liquid Telecom have committed a R200, 000
(Two Hundred thousand rand) to the NDP Youth Brand Ambassadors Programme. This
amount will be shared between two ambassadors.
It
is my pleasure to announce that the very first beneficiaries of this programme
are Mogau Sesheoshe and Nneile Nkholise! We will present the cheques to them
later during the course of our programme today. I might as well add that these
funds will go directly to the beneficiaries.
These
funds will assist towards the enhancement of their businesses and boost their growth
opportunities. Liquid Telecom pledged their support because they cherish the
same vision as us. They espouse similar objectives as us. They believe in this
programme as much as we do.
You would recall that Mogau
Seshoeshe is the brains behind The Lazy Makoti, a company that empowers rural
and township women to host cooking classes on local traditional cuisine and
sell handcrafted, locally produced kitchen accessories. Liquid Telecom supports
her aspirations to revive and encourage a love for the rich South African
heritage that is our food.
Nneile Nkholise, on the other
hand, is an impact entrepreneur and founder of iMed Tech currently incubated at
Innovation Hub, which is working on the application of Additive Manufacturing
to produce custom-made external prosthesis. Liquid Telekom embraces this
initiative because they believe in its vision. I thank them for joining this
partnership with us.
I
am confident that these funds will give these initiatives the necessary boost
to thrive in these cutthroat industries. We know that starting a new business
as a young entrepreneur is not the easiest of endeavours. You need capital to
support you as you take risks in your new venture. The support from Liquid
Telecom will increase the prospects of growth in these businesses.
My
Department will continuously engage with the private sector and government
institutions to solicit support the NDP Youth Ambassador programme.
Simultaneously, we endeavour to provide marketing and communications to the
initiatives of the NDP Youth Ambassadors. As part of supporting our
ambassadors, tomorrow I will deliver a keynote address at the 3rd Annual
Township Entrepreneurs Alliance (TEA) on 18 November 2017, 10h00.
The
Township Entrepreneurs Alliance is an initiative of one of our ambassadors,
Bulelani Balabala, who owns a company called Intercessor Army Franchising cc
(IAF Brands). Bulelani’s initiative has the potential to increase youth
participation in the country’s economy. The Township Entrepreneurs Alliance is
a platform for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to engage, learn,
access mentorship, and skills necessary to start and operate a business. We are
grateful that our partners CISCO and other private sector institutions such as
Standard Bank, Tsogo Sun, and Flower Media have come on board to support
Bulelani’s initiative.
I would like to urge other ambassadors to attend the event in
support of their fellow ambassador.
In
line with our commitment to involve ambassadors in some of our specialised
activities and use the platform to provide the much needed exposure their
initiatives, last month I invited Ndivhuwo Prudence Mudau and Promise Machimane
to join me on my visit to the Ntwane village for a community service delivery
imbizo. Ndivhuwo and Promise donated sanitary towels to a local school. As we
all know, sanitary towels are a necessity in the lives of women. They must be
able to take care of themselves when that time of the month comes. Menstruation
is a natural phenomenon and women should not feel ashamed when it happens. Lack
of funds should not mean they can’t have access to sanitary towels. This is
another way in which we restore dignity especially to young girls who cannot
afford to buy sanitary towels. Through their donation, Ndivhuwo and Promise
have contributed towards the wellbeing of those young girls and ensured that
they continue to participate in their schooling activities.
Ndivhuwo
Prudence Mudau founded an NGO called Phenomenal Women South Africa. The NGO
aims to advocate the rights of women and address challenges faced by young
girls in particular.
Promise
Machimane is the founder and managing director of MIA Sanitary towel. She
started MIA as a sanitary towel manufacturing company in 2012, and the company
currently boasts a total of 8 products in its line. The company has created 87
jobs directly and indirectly.
We
have amongst us other NDP Youth Ambassadors who are doing a sterling job in their
area of work. For instance, Bathabile Moreki is providing mentorship to young entrepreneurs
to contribute in building township economy. Bathabile is herself a multi-franchised
owner and uses her experiences and networks in the private sector to secure
partnerships for young entrepreneurs. Recently, she has negotiated support from
IALE, AUDI in Limpopo, and Khukhu Box Franchisor. Her work can only bear fruit
if she receives support in the form of office facilities, funding and resources
to run the mentorship programme on a large scale.
This
is the calibre of NDP Youth Brand Ambassadors that we have in this programme
and their energy can only be sustained through collaborative support. By
empowering these young ambassadors we are investing towards a better and more
prosperous future for South Africa. We are cultivating young talents that will
be spearheading transformation and inspire economic growth in South Africa. These
ambassadors have the potential to stimulate economic development and contribute
in addressing the perennial challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
I
once again express our sincere gratitude to our partners, Cisco, Altron, Liquid
Telecom, Proudly SA, and PRIMEDIA. I can assure you that you have taken the
right decision by partnering with us in this initiative. The NDP Brand Youth
Ambassador programme is a worthy investment. I thank all individuals and organisations
that have continued to support youth development endeavours. Youth development
is everybody’s business. We must all play our part.
This
is only the beginning. We have a long way to go. Let us travel this exciting
journey together. I extend the invite to all potential partners to join hands
with us in empowering our Youth Ambassadors. By empowering the youth we will be
imparting skills and knowledge while at the same time addressing government
imperatives such as employment creation and economic development. As I
conclude, I once again make the clarion call for more organisations to join
this partnership.
The
NDP Youth Brand Ambassadors programme can standout as a shinning example of a
successful Private-Public-Partnership (PPP). Let us empower the youth to
empower the nation. It is our future. Together we can make it work.
Thank
you.
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