Note to Editor: This speech was delivered by the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya, at the launch of the Ithuba Youth Development Programme.
Programme Director.
Members of the Mayoral Committee.
Leadership of the Tshwane Leadership and Management Academy.
Our partners from the private sector and civil society.
Young entrepreneurs and innovators of Tshwane.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Today is a very special day for me. The plight of young people in our country is not something I observe from a distance. It is something I have lived alongside.
I have seen what it means for capable, determined young people to stand ready to work, yet remain excluded from opportunity.
Youth unemployment in our city is not an abstract concept, it is a daily reality.
In Tshwane, more than 60% of young people under the age of 24 are unemployed. In Regions 1 and 2, that figure rises above 70%. These are not distant statistics. They are young people with qualifications, ideas and ambition, yet without access to opportunity.
Nationally, youth unemployment stands at over 58%. This is a generational crisis. It deepens inequality. It fuels frustration. It tests our social cohesion.
That is why we launch Ithuba, a word that means opportunity.
For me, that word carries weight.
I grew up in a rural village in the Eastern Cape where many young people were capable, disciplined and determined, yet never given a fair chance. I was fortunate to find doors that opened. Many I grew up with were just as ambitious, just as talented, but those doors did not open for them.
That reality has never left me.
It shaped my belief that talent must never be wasted because access is denied.
In many homes across Tshwane today, young people are not short of ability. They are not short of ambition. What they lack is a clear pathway into the economy.
Tshwane is an academic city. We host universities and colleges that attract thousands of young people every year.
Yet I have met too many graduates who hold degrees in their hands and uncertainty about their future. They did everything we asked of them. They studied. They persevered. They qualified. And still they struggle to enter the economy.
There is a profound irony in living in a city known for learning while its graduates remain excluded from work.
A qualification without opportunity breeds frustration. Talent without access remains unused.
That contradiction cannot define our capital city.
Opportunity must be structured. It must be visible. It must be within reach.
That is what Ithuba is designed to do.
Ithuba reflects a deliberate decision by the City of Tshwane to place young people at the centre of our economic future. We cannot speak about economic revitalisation while leaving a generation on the margins.
Ithuba was first announced at the Tshwane Investment Summit as a focused response to this defining challenge.
Too many young people remain outside the economy because they lack access to skills, markets, finance and meaningful work experience.
Ithuba changes that through a coordinated framework built on six focused pillars. We are moving away from scattered projects. We are building clear pathways into the economy.
For young entrepreneurs, Ithuba provides structured training and hands-on mentorship. It supports business development at every stage, from start-up to growth.
It also opens doors to markets. Youth-owned enterprises will be supported to meet compliance requirements and to compete for opportunities in both municipal and private sector supply chains. This includes practical guidance on procurement processes and support to formalise and strengthen businesses.
For young jobseekers, Ithuba provides work readiness support and direct links to internships, apprenticeships and employment opportunities through partnerships with industry.
We are also prioritising technical and artisanal training in areas where there is proven demand, so that skills lead to real work and real income.
The City has allocated initial funding to begin implementation, with dedicated resources for youth entrepreneurship and support across the broader programme.
Over the next three years, Ithuba aims to unlock 30 000 economic opportunities. These include training places, enterprise support, market access opportunities, and internships, apprenticeships and placements.
Behind that number are 30 000 young people whose prospects can change.
We will track progress through a formal monitoring and evaluation system. We will report on results. We will stay focused on outcomes.
Ithuba connects skills development, enterprise support and employment pathways into one clear journey for young people.
But let me be clear. The success of Ithuba will not be determined by government alone.
It will be determined by partnership. Its success depends on active collaboration between government, business, training institutions and civil society. Collaboration must produce results. It must produce placements. It must produce contracts. It must produce income. It must produce growth.
We need businesses in Tshwane to open their doors to interns and apprentices at scale. We need established firms to integrate youth enterprises into their supply chains in a meaningful way. We need procurement decisions that reflect a commitment to inclusion.
We need investment in skills that respond to the real demands of our economy, in construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, energy and services.
Partnership cannot be symbolic. It must translate into signed contracts, structured mentorship, measurable placements and sustained business support across this city.
If we are serious about youth inclusion, then opportunity must move from speeches to supply chains.
That is the standard we are setting.
The Tshwane Leadership and Management Academy anchors this work institutionally. It strengthens coordination and ensures that implementation remains disciplined, accountable and measurable.
In closing, to the young people here today, this programme creates access. What you build from that access will shape your future and the future of this city.
Your ideas matter. Your discipline matters. Your resilience matters.
As the City of Tshwane, our focus is on outcomes.
We expect to see youth-owned businesses operating sustainably in our townships and industrial areas.
We expect to see more young people placed in training, internships and permanent employment.
We expect to see greater participation of young people in the economy of our capital city.
Economic revitalisation requires inclusion. Tshwane cannot grow while a generation remains excluded.
Ithuba is our commitment that opportunity in this city will be structured, visible and within reach.
We will measure it.
We will strengthen it.
We will expand it.
And we will not rest until more young people are building businesses, gaining skills and participating fully in the life of this city.
Thank you.
Ithuba Youth Economic Development Programme launched to expand opportunity & tackle youth unemployment in Tshwane
Note to Editor: This speech was delivered by the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya, at the launch of the Ithuba Youth Development Programme.
Programme Director.
Members of the Mayoral Committee.
Leadership of the Tshwane Leadership and Management Academy.
Our partners from the private sector and civil society.
Young entrepreneurs and innovators of Tshwane.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Today is a very special day for me. The plight of young people in our country is not something I observe from a distance. It is something I have lived alongside.
I have seen what it means for capable, determined young people to stand ready to work, yet remain excluded from opportunity.
Youth unemployment in our city is not an abstract concept, it is a daily reality.
In Tshwane, more than 60% of young people under the age of 24 are unemployed. In Regions 1 and 2, that figure rises above 70%. These are not distant statistics. They are young people with qualifications, ideas and ambition, yet without access to opportunity.
Nationally, youth unemployment stands at over 58%. This is a generational crisis. It deepens inequality. It fuels frustration. It tests our social cohesion.
That is why we launch Ithuba, a word that means opportunity.
For me, that word carries weight.
I grew up in a rural village in the Eastern Cape where many young people were capable, disciplined and determined, yet never given a fair chance. I was fortunate to find doors that opened. Many I grew up with were just as ambitious, just as talented, but those doors did not open for them.
That reality has never left me.
It shaped my belief that talent must never be wasted because access is denied.
In many homes across Tshwane today, young people are not short of ability. They are not short of ambition. What they lack is a clear pathway into the economy.
Tshwane is an academic city. We host universities and colleges that attract thousands of young people every year.
Yet I have met too many graduates who hold degrees in their hands and uncertainty about their future. They did everything we asked of them. They studied. They persevered. They qualified. And still they struggle to enter the economy.
There is a profound irony in living in a city known for learning while its graduates remain excluded from work.
A qualification without opportunity breeds frustration. Talent without access remains unused.
That contradiction cannot define our capital city.
Opportunity must be structured. It must be visible. It must be within reach.
That is what Ithuba is designed to do.
Ithuba reflects a deliberate decision by the City of Tshwane to place young people at the centre of our economic future. We cannot speak about economic revitalisation while leaving a generation on the margins.
Ithuba was first announced at the Tshwane Investment Summit as a focused response to this defining challenge.
Too many young people remain outside the economy because they lack access to skills, markets, finance and meaningful work experience.
Ithuba changes that through a coordinated framework built on six focused pillars. We are moving away from scattered projects. We are building clear pathways into the economy.
For young entrepreneurs, Ithuba provides structured training and hands-on mentorship. It supports business development at every stage, from start-up to growth.
It also opens doors to markets. Youth-owned enterprises will be supported to meet compliance requirements and to compete for opportunities in both municipal and private sector supply chains. This includes practical guidance on procurement processes and support to formalise and strengthen businesses.
For young jobseekers, Ithuba provides work readiness support and direct links to internships, apprenticeships and employment opportunities through partnerships with industry.
We are also prioritising technical and artisanal training in areas where there is proven demand, so that skills lead to real work and real income.
The City has allocated initial funding to begin implementation, with dedicated resources for youth entrepreneurship and support across the broader programme.
Over the next three years, Ithuba aims to unlock 30 000 economic opportunities. These include training places, enterprise support, market access opportunities, and internships, apprenticeships and placements.
Behind that number are 30 000 young people whose prospects can change.
We will track progress through a formal monitoring and evaluation system. We will report on results. We will stay focused on outcomes.
Ithuba connects skills development, enterprise support and employment pathways into one clear journey for young people.
But let me be clear. The success of Ithuba will not be determined by government alone.
It will be determined by partnership. Its success depends on active collaboration between government, business, training institutions and civil society. Collaboration must produce results. It must produce placements. It must produce contracts. It must produce income. It must produce growth.
We need businesses in Tshwane to open their doors to interns and apprentices at scale. We need established firms to integrate youth enterprises into their supply chains in a meaningful way. We need procurement decisions that reflect a commitment to inclusion.
We need investment in skills that respond to the real demands of our economy, in construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, energy and services.
Partnership cannot be symbolic. It must translate into signed contracts, structured mentorship, measurable placements and sustained business support across this city.
If we are serious about youth inclusion, then opportunity must move from speeches to supply chains.
That is the standard we are setting.
The Tshwane Leadership and Management Academy anchors this work institutionally. It strengthens coordination and ensures that implementation remains disciplined, accountable and measurable.
In closing, to the young people here today, this programme creates access. What you build from that access will shape your future and the future of this city.
Your ideas matter. Your discipline matters. Your resilience matters.
As the City of Tshwane, our focus is on outcomes.
We expect to see youth-owned businesses operating sustainably in our townships and industrial areas.
We expect to see more young people placed in training, internships and permanent employment.
We expect to see greater participation of young people in the economy of our capital city.
Economic revitalisation requires inclusion. Tshwane cannot grow while a generation remains excluded.
Ithuba is our commitment that opportunity in this city will be structured, visible and within reach.
We will measure it.
We will strengthen it.
We will expand it.
And we will not rest until more young people are building businesses, gaining skills and participating fully in the life of this city.
Thank you.