While acknowledging the unemployment challenge, government is urging young South Africans to take advantage of the wide range of education, skills development and employment opportunities available to help them transition from learning to earning.
Addressing the Youth in Action Expo at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday, Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, encouraged young people to actively pursue opportunities rather than wait for them.
"This is my second opportunity to address the Youth in Action Expo, and I must say that returning to this platform is truly an honour," she said.
Mhlauli praised the growth of the expo, which has expanded from 1 500 participants three years ago to more than 14 000 this year.
"That is not a statistic. That is a movement. It tells us something our country urgently needs to hear – young South Africans are not waiting for the future to arrive; they are showing up to build it."
Acknowledging the country's high youth unemployment rate, Mhlauli said government could not address the challenge alone.
"But let me be honest: government cannot fix this alone. Solving youth unemployment needs all of us, government, business, schools, colleges and you working together," she said.
She encouraged young people to consider Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges alongside universities, saying vocational education is a pathway to opportunity rather than a second choice.
"If I could leave you with one message today, it is this: TVET is not a second choice; it is a pathway to opportunity," Mhlauli said.
She added that funding is available for young people through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), urging prospective students to apply when the 2027 application window opens later this year.
She said the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), launched in 2020, continues to create pathways into employment through partnerships between government, business and civil society.
According to Mhlauli, the intervention has facilitated access to more than 2.5 million earning opportunities since its inception, while over 5.9 million young people have registered on SAYouth.mobi and more than 5.36 million on the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) platform.
"In the first quarter of 2026 alone, 155 161 new opportunities were created, with more than 70% accessed by young women," Mhlauli said.
She urged unemployed youth to register on the SAYouth.mobi platform, which is free and zero-rated. It connects users with jobs, internships, learnerships, apprenticeships, bursaries and skills development opportunities.
"It is completely free. It is zero-rated on participating mobile networks. You do not need a single megabyte of data," she emphasised.
Mhlauli also encouraged graduates to explore opportunities offered through the Youth Employment Service (YES), while aspiring entrepreneurs were urged to access support through the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA), the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA), the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the National Empowerment Fund (NEF).
Marking Women's Month, the Deputy Minister reflected on the legacy of the 1956 Women's March and called for the greater empowerment of young women.
She noted that more than 70% of opportunities created through the PYEI have been accessed by young women, underscoring government's commitment to expanding economic opportunities for women.
Concluding her address, Mhlauli urged young people attending the expo to make the most of the opportunities available to them.
"So, before you leave this expo, ask questions, make connections, explore every opportunity available and believe in your potential. The future is not something we wait for; it is something we build together," she said. – SAnews.gov.za
