Soweto - The National Youth Development Fund (NYDA) spent R29 million on micro and small youth-owned enterprises through its Business Grant Programme, last year.
The NYDA Business Grant assisted more than 1000 small businesses, NYDA Executive Chairperson Yersheen Pillay said on Monday.
He was speaking during the launch of the Youth Month Programme at the Hector Pieterson Memorial Site, in Soweto.
“The NYDA further provided non-financial business development support to 62 990 young aspiring and established entrepreneurs.
“We are indeed making significant strides in promoting youth entrepreneurship,” Pillay said.
He said the NYDA Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund has to date provided 586 young people with scholarships to the value of R40 million since inception.
The NYDA Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship, which was launched by President Jacob Zuma in March 2014, is aimed at promoting academic excellence.
“Today we can speak of an NYDA that has proudly supported 938 044 young South Africans with career guidance interventions and 1 253 049 young people with valuable information to access the plethora of opportunities provided to youth by government,” he said.
Grocery Store and Shisanyama owner, Nontokozo Nkwanyana, said she feels good about having her own business because she now has the power to employ people.
“There are a lot of opportunities for young people in South Africa such as the NYDA grant, which helped me to start my own business this year,” Nkwanyana said.
She said her business, which received R50 000 from the NYDA, was booming.
“Being a business woman in South Africa means freedom,” Nkwanyana said.
Fashion Designer Nozibele Njozola, 30, was also assisted by the NYDA to start her own business which she runs in Dobsinville, Soweto.
Njozola said the future for young people in the country was bright.
In 2013, the NYDA assisted Njozola with buying two sowing machines and supplied her with fabrics for her business.
“I would like to open my own store, sell to South Africans while providing jobs,” she said.
Buhle Gama said as a young person in South Africa one could be anything they wanted to be.
Gama, who is a student, hopes to have a career in social work.
“I want to give back to the community, especially to children. I also want to have an organisation which will assist young people in career guidance,” she said.
This year marks 39 years since the 16 June 1976 uprisings, 21 years since South Africa attained freedom and 60 years since the adoption of the Freedom Charter.
The Youth Month activities will run under the theme “Youth Moving South Africa Forward”. – SAnews.gov.za
