'It's phenomenal': Ramaphosa hails teacher assistant jobs for helping millions of young people
The six-month Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) — Basic Education Employment Initiative offers 200,000 unemployed young people between the ages of 18 and 34 the opportunity to be employed as education assistants and general school assistants in state schools.
Phase V started in June, and successful candidates will receive a monthly stipend of R4,000 and an additional R30 for data.
Briefing the media on Tuesday, Ramaphosa described the programme as 'phenomenal'.
'It is an overarching programme that covers almost all our 25,000 schools. I'm pleased that the basic education department has taken it on, working with the Presidency through the PYEI, and the labour and employment department has also assisted with the funds.'
He said he wants the programme to be strengthened, adding it prepares young people for the formal job sector.
'It is proving to be beneficial in many ways. First, to the young people we bring in — young people who have not had jobs. So we bring them into formal job situations. They come into a formalised institution and they learn a lot. They gain a lot of knowledge, discipline, management skills and people skills to be able to interact with difficult young people, and they are excelling.
'This is usually empowering for these young people and we've had more than two million of them.'
South Africa's unemployment rate has increased to 32.9%, with youth unemployment rising to 46.1%, leaving millions of young people out of work. Ramaphosa said while he would like the programme to be longer, insufficient resources make it difficult.
Despite this, he said the programme is becoming influential globally.
'This is becoming a world-renowned programme. Many other countries are looking at what we are doing here and some of them are going to copy what we are doing, so we are trailblazers in many ways. This is one programme where there hasn't been corruption; it's been flawless and well executed.'
TimesLIVE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
4 hours ago
- The Herald
BMA introduces traceable stamps to tighten border security
The Border Management Authority (BMA) is rolling out a series of security upgrades as part of its ongoing strategy to modernise South Africa's border management system. Speaking at a press conference on the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato highlighted key developments, including the introduction of secure, traceable immigration stamps, drone-based surveillance and new training initiatives in counterfeit detection. He said the BMA introduced new security stamps on Friday, replacing the old, vulnerable stamps that had been used by immigration specialists. This followed widespread misuse of the stamps, with individuals illegally stamping people's passports with fraudulently reproduced stamps in the past few months. Masiapato said the initiative formed part of the BMA's broader commitment to strengthening national security and represented a deliberate step towards enhancing the integrity of border control processes. The authority had collaborated with the Government Printing Works and designed the new stamps with the highest security standards, including the BMA logo to prevent tampering, forgery and unauthorised use. 'Each of the immigration officers has been allocated a specific stamp with its unique number linked to each officer to trace back should their allocated stamp be found to facilitate illegal migration into the country,' he said. The BMA was now embarking on redesigning new stamps for other specialised functions such as agriculture, health and environment. Masiapato also announced that six border guards had qualified as drone pilots in July . This is as the authority tries to strengthen border security efforts by leveraging technology-driven solutions such as the usage of drones for border surveillance. To increase drone operation capacity, he said they plan to send more border guards for pilot training. 'The skills they have acquired will strengthen border security efforts through enhanced surveillance and increased visibility, particularly in the identified vulnerable segments of the borderline. Further, we have also partnered with the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and trained the border guards in counterfeit detection and currency handling, giving them the necessary skills to identify counterfeit banknotes and coins in circulation.' Between April 1 and June 30, the BMA intercepted and deported 9,954 individuals who had attempted to enter South Africa illegally. Of these, 5,826 were found to be undocumented, 2,127 were deemed inadmissible and 2,001 were classified as undesirables. The majority of those intercepted and deported individuals were Basotho, Zimbabweans and Mozambicans. 'In this quarter, our border law enforcement team also intercepted and handed over to SAPS a total of 15 high-powered suspected stolen vehicles for further handling. Incrementally, since July 2022, the border guards have intercepted more than 349 vehicles which were meant to be smuggled out of the country by criminal syndicates,' Masiapato said. During the quarter under review, port immigration specialists processed 8,582,250 passengers entering and leaving the country. Port health specialists processed 986 permits for the movement of mortal remains during the three-month period, of which 44 were imported into the country while 942 were exported out of the country. About 13 children were intercepted across the various ports, of which five were unaccompanied and handed over to officials of the department of social development for further processing. 'The remaining eight who were with their parents were refused entry as they did not meet the entry requirements into the country. We would like to re-emphasise the requirements for the cross-border movement of children. A child who is under alternative care must produce a certified copy of an authorisation letter from the provincial head of the department of social development before departure,' he said. TimesLIVE
Daily Maverick
11 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Southern African Liberation Movements Summit tries to revive its members' declining fortunes
The annual summit of the six southern African liberation movements reveals why they haven't evolved. The 2025 Liberation Movements Summit provided insights into why the six southern African movements governing or co-governing their countries have struggled to evolve into normal, democratic political parties. From 25 to 28 July, leaders gathered in Johannesburg for solidarity, introspection and mutual learning under the theme 'Defending the Liberation Gains, Advancing Integrated Socio-Economic Development, Strengthening Solidarity for a Better Africa'. The six movements are South Africa's ANC, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), Tanzania's Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), and Namibia's South West Africa People's Organisation (Swapo). The summit's announcement by the host party, the ANC, said: 'This critical gathering reaffirms the ideological foundations of the six southern African liberation movements… and their historical role in securing independence, dignity and development across the region. It also seeks to reassert the relevance of these movements in a rapidly shifting global order.' The movements defeated colonial rule and apartheid and 'implemented landmark policies on land reform, education, housing, infrastructure and social protection', it said. 'However, these gains now face erosion due to renewed imperial pressures, economic crises and attempts at neocolonial interference. The [summit] provides a united platform to confront these threats and consolidate progressive regional responses.' Renewal is a good thing. But is this club the right vehicle for renewal and transformation? So the downturns of the six parties in government were entirely attributed to external forces, with no mention of internal causes. However, during the conference itself, some leaders did acknowledge internal ills. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the movements' strategic imperatives now included defending the gains of liberation, which were 'under threat from internal erosion and external manipulation and interference', and confronting the reassertion of imperialism and geopolitical subversion. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa elaborated, saying the liberation movements had to 'contend with declining electoral support, shifting demographics, frustrated young people in our various countries, economic inequality and foreign interference'. He acknowledged a 'disconnect between our founding narratives and the lived realities of a new generation of young people' and admitted that 'many of the threats we face are internal', including corruption, patronage and the competition for public positions and resources. As a remedy, Ramaphosa said: 'We must institutionalise mechanisms for mutual accountability amongst our movements. We must find and hold each other to higher standards.' Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah echoed that sentiment, saying 'we must hold each other accountable as sister parties' to fight corruption. As far as one could tell, none of the other parties echoed such introspection. Renewal is a good thing. But is this club the right vehicle for renewal and transformation? Lack of democracy, for example, cannot be blamed on outsiders. Only two of the six countries governed by these parties, South Africa and Namibia, can be considered truly democratic. Tanzania's CCM-led regime has imprisoned leading opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, on spurious grounds. Under Frelimo, Mozambique violently suppressed opposition at last year's election and last week charged the main opposition presidential candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, with 'incitement to terrorism' for leading protests against those presidential polls. In general, most of these liberation movements' refusal to allow full democracy is the main reason they have not evolved into real political parties. In Zimbabwe, Zanu-PF has systematically suppressed and dismantled any opposition since independence in 1980. Angola's ruling MPLA has also systematically stifled any opposition. Largely because of such manoeuvres, those four liberation movements have remained in power since independence or liberation. Under strong regional pressure, Zanu-PF briefly admitted the opposition Movement for Democratic Change into a coalition government from 2009 to 2013. But it conceded no real power and, in 2013, won another dubious election outright. It has ruled solo since then. Even in South Africa – one of the movement's two genuine democracies – the ANC fell to under 40% of the vote in national elections in 2024 and had to form a government of national unity with the liberal DA as its main partner. In general, most of these liberation movements' refusal to allow full democracy is the main reason they have not evolved into real political parties. For some of the six, the liberation ideology this summit was designed to revive appears to include an attempt to maintain state control over as much of the economy as possible. That has been one of the main causes of economic failure, as public infrastructure such as railways and ports crumbles. For the six movements themselves, there may indeed have been benefits from the summit, not least in picking up tips on how to stay in power despite the odds, and assurances of mutual political support. But for the populations of the six countries, it is hard to see much benefit. It seems unlikely that Ramaphosa's proposed peer review mechanism will see the light of day. And if it does, even less chance it will hold any of the movements accountable – especially for suppressing political opposition. It would appear that the democratic deficit wasn't even mentioned at the summit. Rather ironically, Ramaphosa observed: 'History demands that we don't allow our legacies to be buried under the rubble of revolutionary nostalgia.' Indeed, that is a real danger. And it was revealing that this was billed as a summit of liberation movements – not 'former' liberation movements, as they have described themselves up to now. That change may suggest that these movements, facing growing opposition to their rules, need to assert their continued relevance. The liberation struggle deserves an honourable place in Africa's history. In the present, we need to move on. The struggle – for democracy, prosperity and equality – should indeed continue, but not through this vehicle. Its members mostly can't offer each other good examples of how to achieve that. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa told the summit: 'We have a sacred duty and responsibility to retain power for the purpose of advancing the people's agenda. We should never allow ourselves to lose power.' That captured what appears to be the real purpose of this club – collaborating to stay in power. DM
The Citizen
13 hours ago
- The Citizen
G20 development leaders gather in Kruger for landmark meeting
Mpumalanga proudly hosted a landmark global event, welcoming one of the key pillars of the G20 to African soil for the first time. The continent's inaugural G20 Development Working Group (DWG) Ministerial Meeting was held at the Skukuza Safari Lodge in the Kruger National Park from July 24 to 25. The meeting was led by South Africa's delegation, represented by Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa, and Deputy Minister Seiso Mohai. Convened under the theme of South Africa's G20 presidency, 'Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability', the gathering brought together ministers responsible for development, senior officials from G20 member and invited countries and heads of international organisations. ALSO READ: Mpumalanga fresh produce market 'a white elephant' – DA spokesperson In her opening remarks, Ramokgopa highlighted the significance of hosting the DWG ministerial meeting on African soil, and emphasised the need for collective action to address global challenges. 'The challenges we face – from climate change and fragile supply chains and persistent inequality – cannot be solved in isolation. South Africa's G20 presidency is not just about hosting meetings. It's about shifting the centre of gravity in global dialogue, placing people and planet at the heart of development,' she said. Ramokgopa added that the meeting had achieved several landmark outcomes.'From tackling illicit finance to advancing inclusive social protection, these agreements reflect not only what we stand for, but what we stand to gain when we act together.' ALSO READ: Samsung Reveals Top 10 Schools Progressing to Finals of 2025 Solve For Tomorrow STEM Competition The Mpumalanga premier, Mandla Ndlovu, said the meeting also served as part of the build-up to the G20 Summit, scheduled for November. 'With our province's economy rooted in agriculture, mining and tourism, hosting events of this magnitude delivers a significant financial injection – stimulating local economic activity and creating much-needed jobs,' Ndlovu said. He added that the conversations held during the meeting would help shape global policy and place South Africa firmly in the historical spotlight, as the decisions taken here would resonate far beyond its borders.
