The Presidential Youth Employment Initiative will continue, as revealed by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Finance Minister disclosed during the 2024 Budget Speech that the program will get billions of dollars in funding.
Enoch Godongwana, the minister of finance, gave the 2024 budget speech on Wednesday afternoon. Regarding the pledges made by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address (SONA), the Minister provided more information.
Ramaphosa disclosed at SONA that the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) generated more than 1.7 million job openings, offering young people essential career paths. Notably, the deployment of over a million school helpers to 23,000 schools has improved learning outcomes in addition to providing beneficial work experience.
“We have also made provision for key initiatives aimed at job creation,” Godongwana stated, adding that billions will be allotted to support the initiative’s continuation.
R61.4 billion is allocated for employment programmes over the medium term. R7.4 billion has been identified for the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative.
There has however not been official plans revealed about the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI), which falls under the PYEI. Youth Capital is one civil society organisation which has been calling for this programme to continue so that unemployed youth can continue to benefit from teaching assistant positions.
Existing short-term work opportunities such as those created by the social employment fund and the presidential employment stimulus, in general, are putting money directly in people’s pockets, enabling them to spend in local economies.
They have said that the Minister should ensure there is adequate funding for both programmes for another five years.
“The employment stimulus has shown us the potential of public employment programmes to simultaneously tackle poverty, boost community development and create work opportunities. We’ve seen this happening in 14 sectors countrywide in schools, early childhood development centres and areas categorised as economic deserts.”
