Youth Development and Empowerment

q) EFF Municipalities on Youth Development and Empowerment

EFF municipalities will:

1, Maintain verified records of unemployed youth to guarantee fair and transparent access to municipal jobs, training opportunities, bursaries, and business support programmes.

2. Ensure that at least 40% of municipal employment opportunities are allocated to young people between the ages of 18 and 35, particularly in infrastructure, technical services, waste management, energy, water, and community services.

3. Allocate at least 50% of municipal procurement opportunities to youth-owned businesses and cooperatives through targeted support, unbundling of contracts, and prompt payment systems.

4. Train and professionalise young people as artisans, technicians, and other skilled workers through municipal apprenticeship, internship, and skills development programmes.

5. Provide free driver’s licence training and one driver’s licence test opportunity for unemployed young people and matriculants.

6. Establish Youth Opportunity Centres and ward-based support services to provide career guidance, business support, employment assistance, digital access, and support for job applications, training, and entrepreneurship.

7. Strengthen youth substance abuse prevention programmes and support community-based rehabilitation initiatives through municipal facilities and support for community organisations.

8. Provide young entrepreneurs, informal traders, and cooperatives with access to trading spaces, municipal facilities, infrastructure, and business support services.

9. Prioritise municipal bursaries for scarce and technical skills and ensure that graduates contribute to building municipal capacity.

10. Use municipal incentives, approvals, and economic development programmes to encourage greater youth employment in local economies.

11. Publish regular reports on youth employment, procurement, training, bursaries, and enterprise development to ensure transparency and accountability.