A year of the 'unity project'
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's government of national unity turns one soon, and it's been a turbulent time. There were some gains and lost opportunities.
The GNU was formed in June 2024 following the May 2024 elections. These resulted in a hung parliament.
And on this day then, the ANC and DA signed a Statement of Intent, marking the formal establishment of the GNU and the appointment of the new cabinet.
Political analyst, Mpumelelo Mkhabela had a discussion with eNCA as the one year anniversary of the GNU approaches.
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IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
Three decades into democracy, there is nothing to celebrate this Youth Day
The youth of 1994, once celebrated as 'Tintswalo' by President Cyril Ramaphosa, now face a bleak reality with little to show for their parents' sacrifices. This Youth Day, we must confront the failures of a system that has left them behind Image: SoraAI June 16 should be a moment to honour the sacrifice of the brave young South Africans who died fighting for justice. But today, we look around and ask, what exactly are we celebrating? Nearly half of South Africa's young people are unemployed. For those between the ages of 15 and 24, the figure climbs to a staggering 62.4%. These are not just numbers - they are lives left in limbo. It is a generation adrift in the very democracy that was meant to set them free. And it's an economic ticking time bomb. After three decades of ANC-led governance, the promise of a better life for all feels like a hollow slogan, especially to the youth. The children of 1994 – the so called 'Tintswalo' celebrated by President Cyril Ramaphosa – who are now adults, have little to show for the democracy their parents voted for. Instead of opportunity, they've inherited a system that failed them. South Africa's youth is a demographic goldmine. A young population should be a competitive advantage – a wellspring of energy, innovation, and growth. But because of government mismanagement, our greatest asset has become our greatest liability. We are failing our young people at every turn, in education, in training, in access to jobs, and in the simple dignity of hope. We are a country rich in mineral wealth and untapped potential, yet our young people stand in snaking queues to access a measly R350 grant. While the elite flaunt their wealth on social media, score tender after tender, fly business class, experience no load-shedding or water cuts, millions of South Africa's youth scavenge in the dust bin of opportunity for whatever dignity they can find. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading How do we justify youth unemployment rates that are the highest in the world — worse than some war-torn regions? According to figures from StatsSA, more than one in three young South Africans are not in employment, education or training. They are not lazy or waiting for a handout. They are simply shut out of a system riddled with corruption and inertia which no longer works for them — if it ever did. Thirty years into freedom, too many of our youth still go to township schools with broken toilets and overcrowded classrooms. They leave with matric certificates not worth the paper it is printed on and spend their days following the shade around their homes. It is not that they lack ambition, it's that the State lacks vision. It's our national shame. What makes this betrayal more cruel is the legacy of June 16. The youth of 1976 did not face bullets and teargas so that their grandchildren could be discarded by a government that carried so much promise when elected freely in 1994. They died to end apartheid, not to usher in a new form of economic exclusion. The ANC government has had more than thirty years to deliver on its promises. Instead, we now have a bloated cabinet, whose members call flying economy class 'sadistic', and rack up R200 million in travel expenses in a year while many South Africans live in squalor and go to bed hungry. There is nothing to celebrate this Youth Day. Not when hunger outpaces opportunity. Not when hope is rationed by who you know. Not when millions of young South Africans feel like outsiders in their own country. What we need now is not another Tintswalo speech. We need action. We need change. South Africa cannot afford to waste another generation. We need urgent, radical reforms – real skills development, real job creation, real leadership. The young must become the centre of economic policy, not an afterthought buried under slogans. Until then, spare us the Tintswalo speeches. Spare us the hashtags and the press conferences. There is no pride in pretending things are better than they are. On this Youth Day, we mourn potential denied. And we demand better. Lee Rondganger is the Deputy Editor of IOL. IOL Opinion Lee Rondganger Image: IOL Graphic
The South African
11 hours ago
- The South African
'Not suprised': Herman Mashaba reacts to Liam Jacobs's DA exit
Herman Mashaba has reacted to Liam Jacobs's Democratic Alliance (DA) shock departure, stating that he's unfazed by the news. Like the young MP, Herman resigned from the party over an internal race row. Surprisingly, Liam jumped ship to the Patriotic Alliance (PA) under the leadership of Gayton McKenzie, whom he recently criticised in a parliamentary committee meeting. On Saturday, 14 June, South Africans woke up to the news that Liam Jacobs had swapped the DA for the PA. While many were confused and shocked by the news, Herman Mashaba was not. Responding to a snippet from Facebook Live where Liam alleged that the DA had secured the majority of the coloured community vote, but had not elected a coloured representative as a cabinet minister or deputy minister, Herman responded: 'I'm not surprised'. In another X post, the DA laughed off the post's claim that it had not received Liam Jacobs's resignation letter. He posted: 'They must just move on. The train has left the station'. Like Liam, Herman – who now heads ActionSA – was a prominent member of the Democratic Alliance who left over party politics. In 2019, Herman Mashaba quit his position as Joburg mayor and DA member amid an internal race row. He said in his resignation statement: 'I cannot reconcile myself with a group of people who believe that race is irrelevant in the discussion of inequality and poverty in South Africa. I cannot reconcile myself with people who do not see that South Africa is more unequal today than it was in 1994'. Another former prominent DA leader weighing in was Phumzile van Damme. Wishing Liam Jacobs well, she posted on X: 'All of the best at your new political home. You owe no one your life or its decisions. Your life is yours & yours alone to live & do what makes you happy. She added: 'I don't care which party you belong to, I care for all young MPs.' In 2021, Phumzile, a Democratic Alliance MP and shadow minister of communications, quit the party. Hinting at internal issues, she said at the time: 'My resignation as an MP is not because the DA is a so-called 'racist party' but because of a clique of individuals. And in order not to make the good women and men still in the DA suffer, I will not delve further into this.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
eNCA
12 hours ago
- eNCA
Young people give GNU a failing grade
JOHANNESBURG - ActionSA says young South Africans have given the GNU a thumbs-down. The party launched a series of engagements to hear the experiences of people from all walks of life. ActionSA Member of Parliament, Dr Kgosi Letlape had a sit down with eNCA's Heidi Giokos.
