Contemporary democracies face the growing challenge of citizen non-participation in state politics. The main argument of this dissertation is that the involvement of young people in political decision-making is vital in creating a sense of belonging in the state.
Rationale
Where these structures exist, they are largely tokenistic and do not facilitate meaningful youth participation. Surveys, research papers and voter turnout have shown that most people who are classified as young do not participate in politics in South Africa.
Research Hypothesis
Research objectives and Broader Issues to be Investigated
Research Problems and Questions
Research Questions
Methodology
Against the backdrop of the above objectives, the dissertation seeks to answer the following questions to contribute further knowledge and perspective on youth non-participation in politics in post-apartheid South Africa. This was done to assess whether there is sufficient meaningful youth participation in South Africa.
Limitations of Study
The researcher used the following primary sources: the South African Constitution, the South African National Youth Policy (NYP) and the African Youth Charter to identify different conceptualizations of the term youth. The data will be extensively examined and interpreted to draw conclusions on whether the NYDA has been successful in empowering youth to participate in decision-making.
Structure of dissertation
Chapter Four of the dissertation assesses the adequacy of the NYDA as a platform for youth participation and empowerment. The chapter then moves on to a critical discussion of the literature dealing with youth participation in South Africa.
Conceptualizing Youth
It is particularly important to include these three dynamics when defining youth in South Africa. Thus, upward mobility also becomes an important aspect in thinking about who constitutes the youth in South Africa.
Participation
Mechanisms and Types of Meaningful Participation
- Information- Sharing
- Consultation
- Collaboration
- Joint Decision Making
- Empowerment
This means that the community may feel excluded from the political process. Confusion arises when policy makers try to understand whether, on the one hand, 'empowerment' means that the people affected by the policy should be educated in order to influence the decision, which is a process.
The Emergent Global Youth Bulge
It is striking that there is little literature that focuses on identifying the consequences of youth growth in South Africa. Mkandawire (2012) rightly believes that South Africa's youth played an important role in the struggle against the oppressive apartheid regime.
Youth Participation
The study hypothesizes that with the right youth participation policies, youth can be a solution to some of the country's biggest problems. Sahar (2014) examines the impact that the NYDA Grant Program has had on youth in the Western Cape.
Contextualizing Youth Engagement: Contemporary South Africa
The reason for this is that they will have greater literacy and numeracy skills, and may be more able to overcome credit and other barriers to entry into self-employment." An increase in the percentage of young people who are self-employed in South Africa can serve as a welcome relief for the economy. The fundamental explanation for this is that in South Africa there is a gap between the qualifications and skills with which young people graduate, and the job opportunities available in the domestic labor market (Statistics South Africa 2014). Lebbrandt (2010) uses this statement to argue that within the South African context "the fact that better educated young people remain poor indicates that the labor market has not played a successful role in alleviating poverty, and that the education system does not deliver the skills needed in the labor market.”
For the author, the causes of the problem with the labor market in South Africa can be traced to the macroeconomic policies that the country has implanted in the post-apartheid period (2011). The effects that the skills mismatch has on the state is outlined by van der Linden (2011) who highlights that "Youth unemployment and underemployment impose large social and economic costs that result not only in lost economic growth but also in the erosion of the tax base." , increased welfare costs and untapped investment in education and training.” The effects that the 'skills miss match' has on the young people themselves are that.
Significance of Meaningful Youth Participation
However, the criticism of the NGP is "that it describes what should happen but does not indicate how these outcomes should be achieved" (Mayer 2011). The frustrations of being unemployed result in social instability in the form of greater poverty, crime and alcohol abuse (van der linden 2011). These points justify and give reasons for the argument made by Phawsane (2005) that society tends to problematize the youth.
The second benefit of involving young people in decision-making is pointed out by Verba (2011) when he argues that “being able to express an opinion in the decision-making process achieves a certain level of equality. He further argues that "the ability to express one's political views is integral to membership in politics.
Roger Hart’s Theory/ladder of Youth Participation
The 4th step of the ladder is “assigned but informed,” which represents the first step to quality participation. Using Hart's Theory/Ladder of Participation, this dissertation attempts to fill this major gap in the literature and create a better understanding of the topic. The thesis attempts to assess and assess the structure of the National Youth Development Agency according to Hart's ladder.
However, if the decisions made start from level 4 of the theory, meaning that young people are involved, young people would respond positively to the structure and use it to further the interests of other young people. As background, a brief overview of global policies that have influenced South African youth legislation will be outlined.
The Global Context of Youth Development
- World Programme of Action on Youth
- The level of Youth Participation
South Africa's commitment to youth development at the global level is mostly influenced by and drawn from the 'World Program of Action on Youth', which is the policy document adopted by member states of the 'United Nations' to address youth issues across the world. The urgent need to address youth issues has been addressed with the fundamental understanding that "the imagination, ideals and energies of young people are essential to the continued development of the societies in which they live" (World Program of Action on Youth 2010). While the WPAY policy lists fifteen priority areas, Van de Byl (2006) argues that emphasis should be placed "on education, skills development and economic participation." The South African National Youth Commission policy and other policies that focus on youth development in the country have been heavily influenced by 'Education', 'Skills Development' and 'Economic Participation'.
The UN's approach to the issue of youth participation has been the most inclusive of youth. The participation of young people is outside the seventh degree where the decisions are "Young people lead and young people initiate".
The African Youth Charter
- The level of youth participation
The exclusion of the youth amounts to a violation of section 9(3) of the BOR in the constitution. Despite the shortcomings of the constitution, the youth in South Africa show positive attitudes towards the constitution. However, the RDP was far too broad to address all the challenges of youth.
YEDS (2013) can be described as a policy instrument established by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to address the issue of youth exclusion as participants in the formal economy. In order to reach young people more effectively, it is necessary to increase the use of radio and television.
Youth Legislation in the South African Context
- The Constitution
- Level of Youth Participation
- The Reconstruction and Development Program (1994)
- The National Youth Commission Act No 19 of 1996
- Level of Youth Participation
- Parliament Act 54 of 2008 National Youth Development Agency Act…
- National Youth Policy Document 2015-2020
- Education
- Secondary Education
- Universities
- Further Education and Training
- The New Growth Path 2010
- National Skills Accord 2011
- Youth Employment Accord 2013
- Youth Enterprise Development Strategy 2013 -2016
The National Youth Development Agency
Act of Parliament 54 of 2008' was passed which allowed the establishment of the NYDA, this Act of Parliament also regulates the functioning of the NYDA. The NYDA can also be considered as the main structure tasked with ensuring that the relevant stakeholders such as the private sector, government and non-governmental organizations prioritize youth development in their policies. This dissertation therefore argues that for the NYDA to effectively achieve its goals, the structure must be inclusive of youth on a broad scale.
NYDA's third main activity is particularly relevant to the current study because it shows that NYDA is theoretically committed to empowering youth to participate effectively. Governance and Administration – delivering effective IT systems, business processes, human resource development and improving the operations of NYDA.
Major Challenges facing NYDA
- The Pervasive Political Permeation
- Negative Media and Public Opinion
- Accessibility
The negative attitudes towards the structure stemmed mainly from the consideration that the NYDA is a restructured version of a failed structure - the Umsobumvu Youth Fund. This in turn adversely affected NYDA staff morale in achieving their goals. Thus, the problem of accessibility for rural youth continues and continues to limit NYDA's effectiveness in empowering rural youth.
As a result, the effectiveness of the NYDA as a mechanism to include the rural youth population in public participation is dismal. Therefore, NYDA's inability to be accessible to the youth population is a major failure that needs to be addressed effectively.
The Opportunities for Engagement
In particular, the support of the youth to participate in the economy as entrepreneurs is not only limited to the NYDA structure; Various legislations such as the National Skills Accord and the Youth Enterprise Strategy, enacted under the New Growth Plan, are also helping in this regard. A recent positive for the NYDA has been its ability to receive a clean audit from the Auditor General. The Sowetan newspaper reports that in 2013 the NYDA had up to R133 million in irregular expenditure (Sowetan 2016).
But commendably, the NYDA was able to reverse this in the coming years (2014 and in 2015) and the structure was able to receive its first clean audit. Therefore, the cessation of large-scale irregular spending that previously characterized UYF and NYDA in its formative stages is a positive step.
Application of Brinkerhoff and Crosby’s 5 Mechanisms to the NYDA Model…
- Information Sharing
- Consultation
- Collaboration
- Shared Decision Making
- Empowerment
The beneficiaries do not raise the difficulties they encountered while trying to access NYDA's services. By publicly communicating the mistakes, they would gain trust and an understanding from the youth that NYDA's activities are a genuine attempt to solve the challenges that the youth face. In addition, the NYDA website recognizes and supports the Youth Employment Accord 6, which was signed on April 18, 2003.
Unfortunately, the NYDA does not have sufficient mechanisms to ensure the inclusion of young people in decision-making. At the time of signing the agreement, NYDA was represented by its president, Yershen Pillay.
Recommendations
- Depoliticize the NYDA
- Expand the number of NYDA offices across the country
- Increased Communication through different forms of media
The main reason for this is that the NYDA has relied too heavily on the Internet as a means of communicating with youth. Public and private further education and training in South Africa: a comparative analysis of the quantitative evidence. United Nations Children's Fund No. 4. Youth and the Arab Spring: Cohort Differences and Similarities.
Middle East Law and Governance Vol 4. The Smoke That Calls Insurgent citizenship, collective violence and the struggle for a place in the new South Africa. A baseline study of youth identity, the media and the public sphere in South Africa.
