Latest news with #SindisiweChikunga
The Star
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
How South Africa's Youth Month aims to empower young people through skills development
Siyabonga Sithole | Published 1 day ago Minister in the Presidency, responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, and her deputy, Mmapaseka "Steve" Letsike, led the launch of the Youth Month programme for the year in Soweto on Tuesday. Image: Supplied Skills development and an inclusive and youth-oriented economy were some of the big talking points at the launch of this year's Youth Month programme in Soweto. The Minister in the Presidency responsible for women, youth and people with disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, her deputy, Mmapaseka "Steve" Letsike, and City of Joburg Mayor, Dada Morero, led a multi-pronged programme to kick-off Youth Month during a ceremony held at the Hector Peterson Memorial and Uncle Tom's Hall in Orlando West, Soweto. Reflecting on the historical significance of the uprisings, renowned activist Seth Mazibuko, who is one of the few remaining faces of the uprising, announced plans from his foundation to commemorate the pivotal moment in South Africa's Struggle for freedom. Activities will include a significant march involving eight schools that participated in the uprising, as well as the unveiling of "50 untold stories of June 16". "Indeed, there will be a march that will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the June 16 uprising, which will involve eight schools that took part in the uprisings. There is also a plan to launch the 50 untold stories of June 16, which will be stories told by some of the unsung heroes of the June 16 massacre. These include people who are not necessarily from Soweto but other parts of the province and country," Mazibuko said. Speaking to the media ahead of the launch programme, Chikunga said preparations for the celebration, developing a skilled South African youth, is an important aspect of ensuring that young people feel included in the skills and economic endeavours to ensure they are well-prepared for the future. "What we are going to be doing, from June this year to June next year, is to look at skills development for the future because some of the current skills may become redundant. We need to revitalise some of the skills so that young people with skills that are no longer in demand in terms of the market need, something can be done for those individuals . We have all these companies that are here who are displaying and exhibiting what they can do for young people," she stated. The minister's sentiments were echoed by Morero, who stressed the importance of improving the city's economy in order to create jobs and business opportunities for young people. "The generation of 1976 fought so that you and I can be free, so that we can celebrate free education in our lifetime, and we must ensure that education is free in the true sense of the word so that we can empower future generations and ensure that we have the necessary skills for young people to contribute to economic growth and generate economic growth for South Africa," Morero stated. [email protected]
IOL News
3 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
How South Africa's Youth Month aims to empower young people through skills development
Minister in the Presidency, responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, and her deputy, Mmapaseka "Steve" Letsike, led the launch of the Youth Month programme for the year in Soweto on Tuesday. Image: Supplied Skills development and an inclusive and youth-oriented economy were some of the big talking points at the launch of this year's Youth Month programme in Soweto. The Minister in the Presidency responsible for women, youth and people with disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, her deputy, Mmapaseka "Steve" Letsike, and City of Joburg Mayor, Dada Morero, led a multi-pronged programme to kick-off Youth Month during a ceremony held at the Hector Peterson Memorial and Uncle Tom's Hall in Orlando West, Soweto. Reflecting on the historical significance of the uprisings, renowned activist Seth Mazibuko, who is one of the few remaining faces of the uprising, announced plans from his foundation to commemorate the pivotal moment in South Africa's Struggle for freedom. Activities will include a significant march involving eight schools that participated in the uprising, as well as the unveiling of "50 untold stories of June 16". "Indeed, there will be a march that will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the June 16 uprising, which will involve eight schools that took part in the uprisings. There is also a plan to launch the 50 untold stories of June 16, which will be stories told by some of the unsung heroes of the June 16 massacre. These include people who are not necessarily from Soweto but other parts of the province and country," Mazibuko said. Speaking to the media ahead of the launch programme, Chikunga said preparations for the celebration, developing a skilled South African youth, is an important aspect of ensuring that young people feel included in the skills and economic endeavours to ensure they are well-prepared for the future. "What we are going to be doing, from June this year to June next year, is to look at skills development for the future because some of the current skills may become redundant. We need to revitalise some of the skills so that young people with skills that are no longer in demand in terms of the market need, something can be done for those individuals. We have all these companies that are here who are displaying and exhibiting what they can do for young people," she stated. The minister's sentiments were echoed by Morero, who stressed the importance of improving the city's economy in order to create jobs and business opportunities for young people. "The generation of 1976 fought so that you and I can be free, so that we can celebrate free education in our lifetime, and we must ensure that education is free in the true sense of the word so that we can empower future generations and ensure that we have the necessary skills for young people to contribute to economic growth and generate economic growth for South Africa," Morero stated. [email protected]
The Star
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
South Africa, UN Women host G20 stakeholder engagement meeting on inclusive growth
JOHANNESBURG, May 26 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) hosted a stakeholder engagement in Johannesburg on Monday to promote inclusive growth under the country's Group of 20 (G20) presidency. As part of the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group sessions, the G20 Stakeholder Engagement meeting was themed "Advancing Inclusive Growth for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities through South Africa's 2025 G20 Presidency." "Our G20 platform must center the lived realities of women, youth, and persons with disabilities, not as a footnote, but as a foundation for recovery and growth," said Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga. According to her, with South Africa's economy growing at just 0.7 percent annually, well below global averages, economic opportunities also remained deeply unequal, with two-thirds of South Africans living in poverty and 40 percent of adults, primarily young people and women, either unemployed or discouraged from looking for a job. Chikunga said South Africa's G20 leadership should go beyond ceremonial participation. "This is not only South Africa's G20. It is Africa's G20, and it must be the People's G20, shaped by those most affected by policy decisions, yet least represented in decision-making spaces. In short, this is a call to elevate our presidency from event-based diplomacy to outcome-driven action -- and to shape a legacy that lives far beyond our leaders' forum that will be seated later this year." Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Mmapaseka Steve Letsike said the country's G20 leadership role also aims to drive systemic transformation in favor of women, youth, and persons with disabilities worldwide. "Our presidency is an opportunity not only to influence international dialogue but to lead by example in implementing real, impactful, and measurable change for those who have historically been excluded," Letsike added.
The South African
22-05-2025
- Business
- The South African
South Africa's G20 legacy will be measured by 'lives changed'
Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, says the legacy of South Africa's G20 Presidency will not be defined by the number of meetings held, or the elegance of its communiqués, but by 'lives changed, systems reformed, and the power redistributed.' Chikunga made the remarks at the opening plenary of the Women20 (W20) South Africa Inception Meeting, currently underway in Cape Town. The W20 is the official G20 engagement group focused on promoting gender equality and women's economic empowerment. The 2025 Inception Meeting, hosted under the theme: 'Women in Solidarity', marks 10 years of W20. The meeting brings together over 100 global delegates representing government, business, academia, and civil society. The two-day Inception Meeting, which started on Wednesday, convenes thought leaders, including policymakers and change-makers from across the globe to explore high-level interventions and innovative solutions to the challenges facing women today. In her address, Chikunga said the gathering is not an endpoint, but a beginning of a call to mobilise transformative change for women around the world. She said the region stands at a pivotal moment, where the African continent has the opportunity to shape the course of global recovery, and where the Global South can reimagine the social contract. 'We stand at a pivotal moment, where we can prove that leadership from our regions is not only possible – it is indispensable. Let us leave this space with a shared resolve: to structure women's voices into the heart of public policy, budgets, institutions, and outcomes,' the Minister said. Chikunga invoked the legacy of South African heroines, like Charlotte Maxeke, Ruth Mompati, and Albertina Sisulu, saying their fight for freedom serves as a reminder that 'freedom without equality is fiction.' As part of Chairship of the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group, Chikunga said South Africa has conceptualised several empowerment programmes intended to advance, through sustained partnerships, and beyond G20 term. These include the transformative emerging industrialists accelerator, and the disability Inclusion Initiative (DII). The transformative emerging industrialists accelerator is designed to support emerging women entrepreneurs in priority sectors such as energy, maritime, defence and aerospace, platform economies, and agriculture. Participants will receive end-to-end support, from ideation and product development to financing, market access, and commercialisation, in collaboration with SOEs [State Owned Entities], private companies, and industry associations. The DII is South Africa's flagship programme to embed disability rights and inclusion across policy, institutions, and society. Anchored by the establishment of a Disability Inclusion Nerve Centre, the DII initiative will drive: • Research on inclusion across the care economy, AI, financial access, and climate adaptation;• The establishment of a National Disability Data Observatory to strengthen decision-making;• Development of early childhood disability screening protocols;• Capacity-building through disability focal points; and • Support for inclusive schooling and access-enhancing technologies.
