As the country celebrates Youth Month in June, the government is continuing to work towards improving youth access to the labor market and the economy, said Nonseba Mhlauli, Deputy Minister in the Presidency.
“South Africans … are demanding work that can be seen, felt and trusted. Fundamentally, South Africans want a government that works for everyone, especially the youth, who make up 59% of the country's population,” Mhlauli said on Tuesday.
Deputy Minister was speaking in support Presidential budget vote presented by President Cyril Ramaphosa In the National Assembly.
He said, “The youth of this country have demonstrated since June 16, 1976, and for the last 50 years, that they do not lack ideas, talent and courage to stand up for their future. What they lack is access.”
Initiatives such as the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), which the President launched in 2020, are actively expanding that door, with the recently released Quarter 3 results for 2025/26 demonstrating real, quantifiable momentum in the drive to shift youth from learning to earning.
In the third quarter alone, PYEI provided 294,530 new earning opportunities, while more than 5.77 million youth registered on the SA Youth Platform.
Read | Presidential Youth Employment Intervention continues to yield results
“Since its inception, PYEI has facilitated access to more than 2.36 million earning opportunities,” she said, adding that more than 70% of the opportunities accessed through SA Youth have been taken up by young women, helping to close the historic gender gap.
Mhlauli said the success of the PYEI reflects the government's commitment to tackling youth unemployment through targeted intervention and innovation.
“At a time when youth unemployment remains one of South Africa's biggest challenges, the program is proof that government action can make a meaningful difference to the lives of young people,” he said.
The Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund exceeded its target this quarter, enrolling over 9,170 youth and successfully placing over 7,200 into employment.
“This is financing real results,” the deputy minister said.
Meanwhile, the revitalized National Youth Service continues its rapid expansion, having so far placed 132,784 young people in paid service opportunities, with an additional 100,000 opportunities currently available on SA Youth.Mobi.
He called on youth aged 18 to 35 to participate in the program which focuses on community service, skill development and gaining meaningful work experience.
Additionally, Youth Employment Services (YES), a private sector-led initiative in partnership with the Presidency, has created over 228,000 youth jobs with an absorption rate of 60% in full-time employment after the program.
The Deputy Minister said that 17% of YES alumni have started their own businesses with the support of the program in various sectors.
“Through sustained investment in youth employment and empowerment programmes, partnerships with the private sector and the allocation of public resources to create opportunities for young people, this Government has enabled hundreds of thousands of young people to gain work experience, skills and access to the labor market.”
He said the country has made progress over the years as reported by Statistics South Africa general household survey.
“South Africa's total life expectancy at birth is expected to increase from 55.2% in 2002 to approximately 67% in 2025,” he said, adding that 84% of households live in formal dwellings and more than half of these households own their own homes.
He said that 94.9% of South African households have access to electricity and 87.4% of South African households have access to piped water and that since 2002, more than 8.1 million households have access to piped water.
In terms of education, 96.6% school participation is achieved by age 15 and 52.9% of South African adults now have at least grade 12, with 1.9 million students enrolled in public institutions of higher education by 2024. –sanews.gov.za