(Subcommittee) NYDA Board Vacancies: Interviews day 3

Meeting report

Candidate 1: Mr Enrico Smith
Ms C Ndaba (ANC), Chairperson, asked the candidate to give a brief introduction of himself, why he is interested in serving on the Board and what is their understanding of the NYDA Board.

Ms B Maluleke (ANC) asked the candidate what strategies would he undertake to ensure more young people in rural towns participate in NYDA development programmes.

Ms N Ntlangwini (EFF) asked the candidate what their understanding of good governance is and how he will ensure the NYDA Board follows good governance principles.

Mr L Mphithi (DA) asked the candidate about the new amendments proposed to the National Youth Development Agency Act and if the candidate agreed with those amendments.

Ms B Mathevula (EFF, Limpopo) asked the candidate what diversity plan he would implement if he was on the NYDA Board.

Ms Masiko said it is very hard to reach rural young people due to a range of challenges preventing them from participating. She asked what actions he would implement to ensure rural youth are reached.

Candidate 2: Ms Lebogang Mulaisi
The Chairperson welcomed the candidate and explained the interview process. She asked the candidate to give a brief introduction of herself, why she is interested in serving the youth of South Africa and giving her time to the NYDA Board. She asked what her knowledge of the Agency is.

Mr Mphithi said the NYDA has been unable to link young people to sectors where there is not necessarily youth representation. These include new and emerging sectors such as the green economy and hemp production. He asked the candidate how she would reimagine this and what she would do to link young people to these sectors. He asked would the candidate be willing to make certain sacrifices to serve on the NYDA Board.

Ms Maluleke said a lot of young people are moving from rural towns to big cities due to lack of opportunities. She asked how the candidate will ensure young people in deep rural towns benefit from NYDA programmes especially youth with disabilities in these rural towns.

Ms Mathevula asked how the candidate would address gender equality within the NYDA.

Mr M Bara (DA, Gauteng) asked the candidate what she thinks government should do about companies that are not implementing the Employment Equity Act and companies not contributing to skills development among young people.

Ms Ndongeni said rural youth are disadvantaged, they have no skills and are not educated. She asked the candidate what actions she would take to help rural youth.

The Chairperson asked if she had any questions for the Committee.

Candidate 3: Mr Moshe Madiba
The Chairperson asked the candidate to give a brief overview of himself, what his impression is of the NYDA and why he wants to get involved in the NYDA.

Ms T Mgweba (ANC) said the NYDA is responsible for the implementation of youth development programmes including the mainstreaming of youth development activities by all stakeholders. She asked the candidate what the key proposed amendments to the NYDA Act are.

Mr Mphithi asked the candidate what plans he has to support young professionals who might not have the same problems of rural young people.

Ms Masiko asked the candidate how best he would advocate for the mainstreaming of youth development programmes across all government departments, the private sector and civil society.

Ms Maluleke said people have a negative perception of the NYDA. She asked the candidate what he would do to change people’s perceptions about the NYDA and how he would ensure the NYDA abides by its principles.

The Chairperson said during past interviews candidates display themselves as very capable but once they get appointed, they do not do their job. She asked the candidate about consequence management and what must happen in such a situation.

The Chairperson asked if he had any questions for the Committee.

Candidate 4: Ms Ngawethu Ka-Siphiwo
The Chairperson asked the candidate to give a brief summary of herself and why she is interested in serving the youth of South Africa. She asked the candidate what her understanding of the NYDA is and how would she contribute if she becomes a board member.

Ms Masiko said the NYDA must reach all young people including rural youth to enable and accelerate youth development in rural towns. She asked the candidate what role the NYDA should play to fill the gap and ensure rural youth are not left behind.

Ms Mgweba asked the candidate to elaborate on the youth programmes she has worked on. She asked the candidate what her fails and successes in these programmes were.

Ms Mathevula asked the candidate what actions she would take to groom young female entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Mr Bara said the NYDA and the Integrated Youth Development Strategy are clear on the principles that must be upheld to ensure youth development. In previous years there was a perception that the Agency only serves certain sections of the youth. He asked the candidate what could be done to change this perception and how she will ensure the NYDA consistently abides and is guided by youth development principles without prejudice.

Ms Maleka asked the candidate to indicate the goals that were set out by the 2020-2030 National Youth Policy and if these goals can be reached.

Ms Ntlangwini asked the candidate if she foresees signs of economic breakthrough for young people and what should be done to address youth unemployment.

Ms Ndongeni asked the candidate to highlight key challenges faced by the youth of South Africa other than unemployment. Considering COVID-19, what would be the key strategies and innovative approaches to address the challenges faced by the youth.

The Chairperson asked if she had any questions for the Committee.

Candidate 5: Mr Rekgotsofetse Chikane
The Chairperson asked the candidate to give a brief overview of himself, what his understanding of the NYDA is and why he is interested in serving the youth of South Africa.

Mr Mphithi asked the candidate if NYDA should work with government departments to look at social security measures for young people and if those measures would be feasible.

Mr Bara asked the candidate what urgent actions need to be taken to address youth unemployment and what strategy would the candidate use to encourage and motivate young people in South Africa.

Ms Mgweba asked the candidate how he would ensure there is good governance on the NYDA Board.

Ms Mathevula said young people are excluded from the mainstream economy and there are barriers to access. She asked the candidate what he would do to break these barriers and help young people enter the mainstream economy.

Ms Maluleke said a lot of young people are growing up in deep rural towns. These rural young people are so disadvantaged that they do not even know what the NYDA is. She asked what he would do to ensure the NYDA reach these youth including young people with disabilities.

Ms Ntlangwini said a lot of youth are starting projects in farming and other sectors but do not have access to markets where they can sell their products. She asked the candidate how they would ensure these young people get access to big markets.

The Chairperson asked if he had any questions for the Committee.

Candidate 6: Ms Ginah Makgoba
The Chairperson asked the candidate to give a brief summary of herself and the work she has done, what her understanding of the NYDA is and why is she interested in serving the youth of South Africa.

Ms Ndongeni said rural young people do not have access to information and are disadvantaged in many areas. She asked the candidate how she would assist rural young people to get access to information and encourage their skills development. She asked the candidate to take the lack of infrastructure into account when answering this question.

Ms Ntlangwini asked the candidate what attributes she would bring to the NYDA Board and how would she use those attributes to change the negative perception of NYDA and implement skills development programmes.

Mr Mphithi said unemployment is at an all time high in South Africa and it is valid that young people feel demotivated. Young people involved in the arts and culture sector have been completely left out and COVID-19 has hit these youths the hardest. He asked the candidate what role the NYDA should play during this pandemic to provide support to young people in the arts and culture sector. He also asked what post Covid-19 would look like for these young people and what further actions the NYDA could take.

Ms Masiko asked, if appointed, what programmes she would suggest the NYDA sponsor or initiate to challenge stereotypical views society has of women.

Ms Maleka asked the candidate what her understanding is of the roles and responsibilities of the NYDA Board.

The Chairperson asked if she has any questions for the Committee.

Candidate 7: Ms Karabo Mohale
The Chairperson asked the candidate to give a brief overview of herself, her understanding of the NYDA and why is she interested in becoming an NYDA Board member.

Mr Bara asked the candidate what she thinks needs to be done to rescue young people of South Africa from their current predicament.

Ms Masiko said there is a narrative that the South African education system is producing unemployable young people. She asked the candidate what gives rise to this perspective and how would the candidate change this perception.

Mr Mphithi said the NYDA has not been receiving clean audits and the NYDA annual performance targets are not aligned to its objectives. He gave the example of an indicator in the NYDA annual performance plan is increasing its Twitter following. Such indicators mean nothing to young people struggling on the ground. He asked the candidate what targets she would aim for and how would she ensure these targets are meaningful and impactful to young people. He asked what fundamentals of the NYDA she would change if she became a board member.

Ms Ntlangwini said young people are going through tough times and there is a trend of young people in academic institutions committing suicide. She asked the candidate to give her understanding of this problem and what might be the driving forces behind this problem.

Ms Ndongeni asked the candidate to elaborate her understanding of the Integrated Youth Development Strategy is and how this can be implemented.

Ms Maluleke asked what actions the candidate would take to offset the challenges faced by young people and give them hope.

Ms Mgweba asked the candidate what the relationship is between the Integrated Youth Development Strategy and the National Youth Policy.

The Chairperson asked if she had any questions for the Committee.

Candidate 8: Ms Sunshine Myende
The Chairperson asked the candidate to tell the Committee about herself, her understanding of the NYDA and why she wants to become a NYDA Board member.

Ms Masiko asked the candidate what would she do to ensure the Integrated Youth Development Strategy realises the 2020-2030 National Youth Policy.

Ms Maleka asked the candidate to give her understanding of the NYDA functions according to its Act. In her assessment does she think the NYDA executes its mandate effectively. If yes, how so and if no, what is she proposing to strengthen the NYDA to ensure it executes its mandate?

Ms Mathevula said rural young people are excluded and do not have access to NYDA programmes. The NYDA requires young people to have data to participate in them and rural young people lack such resources. She asked the candidate what she would do to assist rural youth in receiving exposure to and accessing programmes.

Mr Mphithi said there is a strong need for the NYDA to continually engage with stakeholders, to fund raise and seek assistance to help young people. He also noted there has been a lack from the NYDA’s side to work with traditional leaders. He asked the candidate if there is space for this type of engagement.

Mr Bara said the candidate mentioned that the mandate of the NYDA is broad in the sense the NYDA should be doing all the coordination and synergy between all departments. He asked the candidate if this is not led by the NYDA, who should lead this responsibility.

The Chairperson asked the candidate if the amendments to the NYDA Act have shortcomings and if these amendments should be adopted as is.

Candidate 9: Ms Kristal Duncan-Williams
The Chairperson asked the candidate to give a brief overview of herself, what her understanding of the NYDA is and why she is interested in serving on the NYDA Board.

Ms Ntlangwini said the NYDA has been clouded by a lot of negative perceptions. She asked the candidate what she would do to change this narrative.

Ms Ndongeni asked the candidate what can be done to ensure public and private institutions prioritise employment of young people both skilled and unskilled.

Ms Mgweba asked the candidate what she understands the role and responsibilities of the NYDA Board to be.

Mr Mphithi said the National Youth Policy has been approved by Cabinet and he is not very impressed with this policy. He has made it clear in this Committee that the policy does not express the views of young people. However, the Amendment Bill is still open for comment. He asked the candidate how she would reimagine public participation for young people in this country.

Ms Maleka asked the candidate how she will ensure good governance in the NYDA if appointed. She asked her to give five good governance principles for a democratic and efficient public service.

Ms Mathevula asked the candidate what actions she would take to improve diversity at NYDA.

The Chairperson asked the candidate to further explain what she said about underqualified people on the board.

The Chairperson asked her if she had any questions for the Committee.

Candidate 10: Ms Nomcebo Nkosi
The Chairperson asked the candidate to give a brief overview of herself, her understanding of the NYDA and why the candidate wants to serve on the NYDA Board.

Ms Mgweba asked the candidate what actions she would take to make both skilled and unskilled youth employable and able to be absorbed by companies.

Mr Bara said the candidate is still busy with her studies, he asked how the candidate would balance being a student and a NYDA board member if she gets appointed. He asked the candidate what could be done to change the negative perceptions around the NYDA.

Ms Mathevula asked the candidate if the NYDA is doing enough to advocate for people with disabilities and for LGBTQI youth. If not, what could be done to include these communities?

Mr Mphithi asked the candidate what immediate actions she would take if appointed to the Board.

Ms Maleka asked what she understands the role and responsibility of the NYDA Board to be.

Ms Masiko said young people in South Africa are distressed and are facing mental health issues. The situation is worsened by COVID-19. She asked the candidate what innovative strategies she would bring to the NYDA Board to ensure mental health issues are addressed adequately.

The Chairperson asked her if she had any questions for the Committee.

Meeting adjourned.