President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Wednesday deliver virtually the keynote address commemorating Youth Day, and will launch the National Pathway Management Network to provide young work-seekers with a range of support, including training for work readiness.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Presidency said the Youth Day commemoration will be hosted as a hybrid event with a significantly reduced physical audience at the national event in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
“This follows the country’s move tomorrow, 16 June 2021, to Alert Level 3 of the COVID-19 risk adjusted strategy. This includes, for example, arrangements for the Youth Day commemoration, which was scheduled to be held in Pietermaritzburg tomorrow,” the Presidency said.
The President will provide an update on the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, announced in SONA 2020, and will officially launch SAYouth.mobi, the National Pathway Management Network, to expand opportunities and support available to young people.
The National Pathway Management Network is a partnership between the National Youth Development Agency, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, Department of Science and Innovation, Department of Employment and Labour, Department of Higher Education and Training, Department of Small Business Development, and the Youth Employment Service.
“Young people are encouraged to sign up to join the network and access opportunities through SAYouth.mobi,” the Presidency said.
It is 45 years since the uprising by learners against the mandatory use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction and the violent response of the apartheid government to communities’ objections.
The shootings provoked protests throughout the country and intensified resistance to apartheid.
Youth Day 2021 is commemorated under the theme, ‘The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society’.
The public is invited to follow the national event on government digital platforms and major news channels at 11am.
The event can also be followed on Facebook: http://facebook.com/GovernmentZA, Twitter: http://twitter.com/GovernmentZA, and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GovernmentZA.
Source: South African Government News Agency