Parliament — The Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities informed the newly-appointed National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Board that many young people have expressed the sentiment that the agency should be more responsive to their needs.
Among the committee's recommendations was for the agency to become more accessible, particularly for rural youth and persons with disabilities.
The NYDA board and senior management briefed the committee on the quarter reports for 2024/25 and the first quarter report of the 2025/26 financial year.
In her opening remarks, committee Chairperson Ms Liezl van der Merwe welcomed the new board, saying, "We have put our trust in you, as this committee, and we are hoping that you're not going to let us down. You have our full support; we are going to walk this road with you." She said that the new board was the first, since democracy in 1994, to be unanimously supported and recommended by all political parties in the National Assembly.
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Ms van der Merwe reiterated that the committee will be conducting astute oversight over the board, given the important role the NYDA plays and the fact that it receives a significant proportion of the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities' budget vote allocation.
Members of the committee also expressed concern with the implementation of the National Youth Service (NYS) programme and associated budget allocations and expenditure. They asked for more clarity on the nature of the agency's partnerships and the subsequent funding allocations to ensure that the intended beneficiaries receive their stipends. The concern raised was about how much was allocated to partners for administrative fees versus that allocated to NYS beneficiaries. A full report was requested in that regard.
Members of the committee said if the middleman was cut out of the NYS programme and the agency staff capacitated internally to undertake the work instead, it would create more opportunities for young people as the funds would be redirected.
The committee further questioned the level government's participation in the NYS and queried how many national and provincial departments as well as entities implemented the NYS in 2024/25 and the first quarter of 2025/26. The committee said there seems to be a lack of government participation, while the private sector appears to be more involved in the programme.
In its response, the NYDA recognised the need for government's involvement in the programme. The agency explained that the programme is designed to provide young people with practical work experience and skills development and that approximately 80% of the budget goes towards participant stipends.
On the matter of the agency's limited presence and accessibility in rural communities, committee members informed the board of the challenges and struggles that young people experience in accessing the offices of the NYDA as well as information from the various virtual platforms. Members asked the board to investigate this matter and the issue of connectivity, which remains a major hurdle for young people living in rural areas.
Responding to the committee's questions, the new NYDA board Chairperson, Dr Sunshine Myende, acknowledged the need to improve accessibility, especially in rural areas. She said, "We are going to be exploring partnerships to ensure that all young people in South Africa, even in the most remote communities, are able to access our services, including through a zero-rated NYDA app."
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Dr Myende said the agency is committed to developing a robust monitoring and evaluation system to track the long-term impact of NYDA interventions. "We don't want to only report on the quantitative aspect of our work, but provide qualitative evidence of meaningful impact," she said.
The committee requested a substantive list of reports from the agency on matters arising from the briefing, which include but are not limited to capital expenditure, Scorpion King, the status of offices and mobile trucks, rural and disability strategies, international travel and recommendations of when future quarterly reports will need to be submitted to the committee.
In conclusion, Ms van der Merwe said, "By doing robust oversight work we are not enemies, we are partners, and as long as we walk this journey together over the next three years, we'll get far."
