Bua Briefs 7 of 2012

• The National Youth Policy 2009 – 2014 is an essential planning tool guiding the country's approach to youth development. The NYDA continues to enhance the participation of young people in the economy through targeted and integrated programmes.
• Young people across the country, including in rural areas, are becoming involved in infrastructure development programmes. Some of the programmes include:
  • The National Youth Service Programmeincludes collaboration with the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to mainstream youth into major infrastructure and socio-economic projects.
  • The National Rural Youth Service Corps forms part of the Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy, which addresses the key priority of rural development, land reform and food production and security. The NYDA is a key partner of this programme, which recruits youth from rural communities and engages them in a two-year development programme that emphasises entrepreneurship and life-skills orientation.
• The NYDA has successfully implemented numerous successful projects and is the ideal partner for youth development programmes, including with the private sector.
  • The organisation is working with 49 partners, including companies such as Nestle and Massmart in its entrepreneurship development programmes and government departments such as the departments of public works, rural development and Land Reform, and human settlements for the implementation of the National Youth Service Programme.
  • The NYDA has secured a partnership with Youth Business International, which builds on the skills capacity of young people to explore possibilities beyond South Africa's borders.
• The NYDA products and services are available at its branches and local youth offices located at various municipalities. With more

• South Africa is investing billions on massive infrastructural projects, focusing on rail and road projects, economic links in five regions in the country, new universities and refurbished hospitals, etc.
• Youth will be prioritised in the service procurement opportunities. Special attention will be given to major infrastructure projects, to ensure both value for money and development of local suppliers and support industries.
• Government, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), municipalities and business must lead in opening up workplaces for apprenticeship, learnership and internship opportunities for the youth: together, turning every workspace into a training space.
• The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), working with the main SOEs, will provide financial support within their responsibility areas, creating a public-public partnership model to drive infrastructure development.
• The Department of Labour will participate in the 101st International Labour Organisation Conference's General Discussion Session on Youth Unemployment between 30 May and 15 June 2012. The outcomes thereof will assist the country in addressing its share of youth unemployment.

• Expanding further education and skills development is a key long-term priority of government, alongside improving the quality of basic education and broadening access to adult education programmes.
• Government calls on all communities, parents and guardians to encourage young people, including disheartened ones, some of whom stand on street corners daily with no hope for the future, to come back to the education and training system, and benefit from vocational training.
• Access to tertiary education will receive a boost in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape through the allocation of R300 million towards new universities for the two provinces.
• Government is working with Further Education and Training (FET) colleges as well as higher learning institutions to provide skills and services required by poor students who qualify for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and who are completely exempted from paying academic fees.
• Sixty per cent of learners' benefit from no-fee schools in South Africa.
• The youth must explore all possibilities available, including registering for learnerships through the Sector Education and Training system, participating in the National Skills Fund programmes, joining the South African National Defence Force as part of its Military Development Programme or participating in the EPWP.

• Youth potential is limitless. Thus, government calls on all youth to be active in building their communities and take full advantage of the available opportunities.
• Youth activism has been directed at successfully tackling the challenges of combating poverty, unemployment, underdevelopment, substance abuse and HIV and AIDS.
• Government calls on all sexually active youth to take ownership and responsibility by knowing their current status and getting tested. This will enable them to make informed decisions about protecting their negative status and preventing new infections in future.
• We encourage the youth to contribute towards building safer communities by volunteering their services and participating in various structures that are meant to fight crime.
• Volunteer your services and participate in various structures of your communities to acquire necessary life skills. Visit the NYDA offices near you and its website or speak to the agency to find out more about activities for the month and its programmes.
• There will also be pop-up shops across the country open to the public throughout June 2012 where you can engage youth officials and acquire information regarding the different programmes and initiatives.

• We are a government that cares and consults.
• We are a government that partners with citizens and sectors in all sorts of issues, all of the time.
• The process around e-tolls has not been any different.
• We welcome public participation and respect public opinion.
• It is in the nature of a young democracy and an emerging economy that tough choices will confront government and the country from time to time.
• It is when the choices are tough that we need to work together particularly hard to find solutions.
• When we differ, we need to maintain our respect for one another and put the best interest of the country ahead of the dispute of the day.

How we feel about the court decision.

• Following the Inter-Ministerial Commission report, Cabinet will pronounce itself on the preferred route, whether to appeal or not.

• Cabinet has appointed a committee chaired by the Deputy President to coordinate all work around the GFIP.
• Members of the committee include the ministers of Transport, Finance, Public Enterprises and The Presidency: Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, and the Director-General in The Presidency.
• This committee will move with urgency to ensure that the South African National Roads Agency Limited's (Sanral) financial stability is not affected in any way.
• The committee will assess the Government's response to the North Gauteng High Court ruling and other related legal matters.
• It will also meet with appropriate stakeholders to find constructive solutions and consensus on the outstanding matters.

• We have heard the people and we have heard the court, and will respond to both.
• We are studying the judgment and considering our options, with the best possible outcome as an objective.
• Following the resignation of the Chief Executive Officer of Sanral, the Department of Transport is working with the agency's board to ensure that Sanral discharges its responsibilities of operating and maintaining the national road network across the country.
• We will work to ensure that nothing compromises the huge infrastructure programme, which is crucial for raising the level of South Africa's economic growth and for enhancing the standard of living of citizens, especially the poor and unemployed.

• The GFIP is not just about building roads; it is about building a better country.
• However, government needs to find a sustainable way to finance, maintain and expand our national road network, which is crucial for the economy and citizens.
• The R20-billion investment in the GFIP, which started in 2007, will benefit the residents and the economy of Gauteng, which is an important driver of national economic activity.
• The decisions that we make and the steps that all of us as South Africans now take regarding the future of the GFIP will have serious implications for how we finance future infrastructure projects.
• As we consider our options, we will not do anything that may impact negatively on our track record in the prudent management of government finances.

• It will strengthen the historical and cultural bond between the continent and the African Diaspora with the aim of unifying Africans throughout the world.
• Discussions at the summit will build a solid foundation for reviving the global African family and reaffirming commitment to the development of the Diaspora and Africa.
• African leaders are committed to the African Diaspora dialogue, since people of African origin find themselves marginalised and in difficult conditions in most of their host countries.
• The continent values the significant role the African Diaspora played in ridding the continent of colonialism and apartheid. We continue to perceive the Diaspora as vital in the pursuit for a peaceful, prosperous Africa and to assist the continent with its reconstruction and development.

The Global African Diaspora Summit will forge partnerships.

• The summit aims to create sustainable partnerships between the continent and the African Diaspora to benefit the broader African community.
• The Declaration and the Programme of Action to be adopted during the summit will strengthen and deepen political and socio-economic collaboration between Africa and her Diaspora.
• The summit will promote South-South cooperation in the betterment of the continent and the African Diaspora.
• The summit will ensure greater Pan-African solidarity in the struggle against political and economic discrimination and promote a broader African community alignment at international negotiations and forums.
• The Caribbean Community (Caricom) has observer status at the AU and more efforts are planned to ensure global representation and participation of the Diaspora in AU structures and processes.
• The African Diaspora Summit will promote greater trade and investment between the continent and African Diaspora countries.
• The New Partnership for Africa's Development will continue to provide a framework within which the continent engages with its Diaspora and to promote socio-economic development on the continent.

• The Green Ribbon was adopted by the National Child Protection Committee in 1994. Like a tree, it symbolises life and growth associated with children. They need to be nurtured and conserved.
• Be an active participant and partner in the promotion of the rights, care and protection of children. Let's speak with one voice against child violence, abuse and neglect.
• Parents, caregivers, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, domestic workers, academics, celebrities, faith-based organisations, public servants, police officers, traditional leaders and political leaders, etc. all have important roles to play in protecting children from violence, abuse and neglect. The efforts will inform citizens of the prevention and early intervention programmes of supporting departments and agencies.
• We urge you to know and understand the Children's Act, 2005 and participate in the activities and dialogues of Child Protection Week.
• Volunteer your expertise and services to play your part in households, communities and professional environments.
• We ask the private sector, non-profit organisations and communities to support Child Protection Week by wearing and displaying the Green Ribbon.

Government is steadfast in protecting children's rights.

• Preventing and combatting crime against children is a priority for government. A high-level ministerial team has been formed, convened by the Ministry of Social Development, to devise short- and long-term measures to deal with crimes in South Africa, including those committed against children.
• Family violence, child protection and sexual offences units (FCS) have been reintroduced in all 176 South African Police Service (SAPS) clusters across the nine provinces. There are currently 2 155 detectives placed at these units, issued with 1 276 vehicles. Previously, the FCS units consisted of only 1 864 detectives.
  • The Child Protection Unit was established to prevent and combat crimes against children. It renders a sensitive service endearing to the child victim; and deals with cases of rape, incest, assault, attempted murder, kidnapping and abduction, crimes regarding the abuse/exploitation of children, domestic violence, child care, child pornography and the sexual exploitation of children.
• Comprehensive places of safety such as the Thuthuzela care centres provide care and psychological support to survivors of sexual abuse.
• The President set up the dedicated Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities in 2010 to elevate and mainstream issues of children in the overall business of government.
• Socio-economic hardships and challenges such as unemployment, poverty, inequality, and alcohol and substance abuse can result in unsafe and hostile environments for children. Thus, programmes are in place to ensure that children's basic rights to food, education, shelter, healthcare, family or alternative care and protection from abuse and maltreatment are protected.
  • Millions of children continue to benefit from the provision of free primary healthcare, school feeding schemes and the No-Fee School Policy for children from poor families.
  • These interventions ensure that children grow up in an environment where they can blossom to their full potential.
• The Strategy and Guidelines for Children Living and Working on the Streets provide different stakeholders at national, provincial and local levels with guideline to develop their own programmes for the management of children living and working on the streets.
• To remain relevant in the socio-economic changing South Africa, amendments to certain sections of the Children's Act, 2005 were made, such as lowering the age of adult from 21 to 18+ and allowing those above 12 years access to HIV testing and contraceptives. In this regard, the Child Act, 2005 was aligned to Section 28 (3) of the Constitution.
  • A child in the South African context refers to any person under 18, unless married or emancipated by order of court. Any person over 18 is considered an adult.
  • Registration of existing children's homes, places of safety and shelters registered under the previous Child Care Act, 1983 (Act 74 of 1983), for specific purposes, to transform into child and youth care centres.

• A multisector response is required to address and end the scourge of child abuse, neglect and exploitation. The well-being of children depends on YOUR support!
• An Inter-Ministerial Committee was formed at the 2012 Early Childhood Development (ECD) Conference after participating departments adopted the Declaration on ECD. Government and stakeholders committed themselves to a programme of action that promotes the well-being of children and protects, among other things, their rights.
• Government will ensure that those who abuse or neglect children face serious consequence for their actions. Strong warning must be directed to perpetrators of child trafficking, child pornography, corporal punishment, bullying and initiation at school as well as abductions, exposure to pornography, etc.
• Members of society, including children, must work together with law-enforcement agencies in combating abuse, neglect and exploitation of our children.
• Report Child Abuse toll-free (0800 05 55 55).
• The public is encouraged to strengthen and develop community structures which can assist in providing care and protection for children.
• We commend the good work by departments, non-profit organisations and community-based groups that work tirelessly for our children.

"It takes a village to raise a child" - African Proverb

• This African proverb calls for a collective responsibility of communities to raise children, where "Your Child is My Child". All parents, guardians and older members of the community should look out for each other's children.
• Government believes that protecting children and creating safe and secure environments is everyone's responsibility and is achievable.
• The well-being of children depends on functional, nurturing and protective families and communities that are able to meet their children's basic needs.
• The Green Paper on National Families Policy for South Africa is the central focus of government's intervention to strengthen this building block of society.
• We call upon all role players: professionals, individuals, guardians/parents and family members entrusted to care and protect children to play their part and fulfil their duty of caring for our children.