Despite challenges, NYDA plays a vital role

Johannesburg - Despite the DA Youth (DAY) calling for the scrapping of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and allegations levelled against its CEO, the agency has had some positive impacts.

Since its inception in 2009, the NYDA has provided an opportunity for many young people to gain access to financial and non-financial business development support, to enable them to establish their businesses.

The organisation was established to tackle the challenges that youth faced.

The agency’s mandate covers youth development issues at national, provincial, and local levels.

Since its inception in 2009, many young entrepreneurs are living their dreams.

In 2011, Vonani Mathebula established Brains Empowerment, a company that aims to bridge the gap between developed and underdeveloped communities through information, and guidance in the form of mentorship and the print media.

She said the situation in her community made he want to change things she was able to do so thanks to the NYDA.

“There was a high rate of teen pregnancies, drug abuse, and unemployment in my community in Orange Farm.

“This motivated me to establish the company. I wanted to empower South Africans by ensuring that we become a source of information,” she said.

Entrepreneur Thandeka Myeza is making waves in KwaZulu-Natal through her fashion label Malesna Design.

She would not have been able to achieve her dream without the money from the organisation to purchase additional machinery and fabric.

She was given an R50 000 business loan to buy them.

Khensani Peters also was allowed to go oversea for an international business mentoring programme through her bakery business, in Midrand.

“I have always wanted to go overseas and this programme gives me the chance to interact with business leaders and mentors from more advanced companies.

“It is allowed me to learn a lot of new techniques and discoveries within my industry and bring the technology and skills back home where I can apply it to my business and teach young and upcoming cake decorators and makers as well,” she said.

Despite the good work it does in uplifting young people and helping them realise their dreams, it has also in the past been caught with its pants down.

• The agency made the headlines after it splurged more than R100 million on the World Festival of Youth and Students in 2010, which was heavily criticised and called the kissing festival.

• This was followed by the dismissal and arrests of its former CEO Andile Lungisa in 2013. In the same year, another executive was fired with immediate effect for seven charges relating to financial misconduct, for approving an R9 million project without following proper procedure.

• Former deputy chairman Yershen Pillay was also accused of abusing his state-issued credit cards. Pillay, who was appointed the chairperson in March 2013, racked up to R23 000 in cellphone bills. It was said that an internal memorandum states that he needs to repay a total of R185 660 and that the auditor-general found Pilley had submitted vouchers for expenses totaling R162 589 after their due date.

• In 2015, an independent media probe at the NYDA uncovered that at least two senior managers had misrepresented their qualifications. At the time of investigation, the two were earning over R1m.