Calls for 'proper governance' and prioritisation of 'youth agenda' as NYDA enters a new era
The new board of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) stepping into office on Friday, August 1, has been roundly welcomed, but the delayed appointment has been criticised.
Welcoming the incoming board, the Public Servants Association (PSA) decried the delays. The union said while the old board's term ended on October 31, 2024, there were delays in appointing the new one, including delays by about four months after Parliament had recommended candidates to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
'The PSA noted with concern that the President appointed the Board four months after Parliament made recommendations of candidates for appointment to the Board. This delay was unfortunate and fuelled the perception that the NYDA and government do not take issues of corporate governance seriously.
'The NYDA faced criticism over the years, including financial mismanagement, unethical leadership, and irregular expenditure. Some critics of the NYDA were calling for its closure based on accusations of bias in that it only assisted politically connected young people. Many have pointed out that the NYDA is failing to address youth empowerment and employment. It has been widely reported that the NYDA has been used as a cash-cow for politicians since its inception, hence the dismal failure on its mandate,' the union said in a statement.
The union said the NYDA had failed to fulfil its mandate of empowering and developing young people and called on the incoming board to 'immediately address the alleged poor governance, nepotism and abuse of power, financial mismanagement, negative perception, as well as ensuring consequence management'. It called for the agency to develop 'tangible' programmes to address the challenges face by the country's youth, including unemployment, inequality, and poverty.
'The huge rate of unemployed graduates is concerning and should be prioritised,' the PSA said.
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