Johannesburg - The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) says it is all systems go for the World Youth Festival to be held in South Africa for the first time.
The gathering, from 13 to 21 December, is billed by the NYDA as the largest youth festival in the world.
Minister in The Presidency, Collins Chabane, recently announced that about R29 million had been set aside for the event. Each province will also assist its delegates to the conference. The National Lottery has pledged R40 million towards the event.
The agency said it had won the right to host the festival after a lengthy successful bidding process.
Approximately 30 000 delegates from around the country and across the world are expected to attend the nine-day event, which is to take place at universities throughout Gauteng.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, NYDA Chairperson Andile Lungisa said the gathering would be used as a platform to interact with the youth of South Africa on critical issues affecting them.
He said some of the issues that will find centre stage at the festival include the right to employment, economic participation, environment and development. Daily conference sessions will focus on social, political and economic issues facing the youth.
Delegates from more than 28 countries have already arrived in the country to take part in the event, with Zimbabwe alone sending about 2 000 delegates. The event was initially planned to take place in Johannesburg but Lungisa said it was moved to Pretoria for accommodation reasons.
"It is expected that the festival will have tremendous benefits for the youth of South Africa through improved consolidation of the country's national agenda for youth development and empowerment," Lungisa said.
The agency had received a lot of calls from the young people wanting to attend the festival and had exceeded the target organizers were looking for, he said.
President Jacob Zuma is expected to speak at a ceremony to officially open the event at Lucas Moripe Stadium, while a lineup of artists is set to entertain the crowds.
The World Festival for Youth and Students is organised every four years by the World Federation of Democratic Youth in one of its 153 member states.
