The Weekend View

The SA Youth programme is one of various initiatives government has implemented to reduce unemployment, especially among South African youth. The programme connects job seekers with legitimate employment and training opportunities. SAYouth.mobi was officially launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2021. According to government the  programme has positively impacted South Africa's youth by providing job opportunities.  However, recently its success has been marred by scammers infiltrating the platform. 

The commission's Report on July 2021 unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. According to the commission,  the launch of the unrest report  is aimed at kickstarting  a national dialogue on the causes and triggers for such manifestations of social instability as the July unrest. 

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) says over two-thirds of South African agribusinesses implemented innovative activities during 2019–2021, despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges. The South African Agricultural Business Innovation Survey (2019–2021), conducted by the HSRC's Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII), shows that 63.6% of agribusinesses had process innovations, while 38.5% had product innovations. Agri SA says however there are still key issues that the new government must address. It says government must create an enabling business environment, ensuring investor confidence, and maintaining policy certainty through stable economic policies, secure property rights, and a supportive legal framework. 

Young children in South Africa are more likely to live in poverty, suffer from food insecurity and malnutrition, and die before their fifth birthday than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. This is according to the South African Early Childhood Review of 2024 which shows that the situation of young children has worsened in many ways. Senior Researcher at the Children's Institute at the University of Cape Town, says Dr Katharine Hall the COVID-19 pandemic erased gains made for young children in South Africa, presenting a massive setback we have not fully recovered from.

As speculation continues on whether the members of the newly-formed Government of National Unity (GNU) will be able to deliver and complete the term together, some political pundits say the role of opposition parties now is more crucial than ever to hold the executive accountable. This comes as many South Africans and political parties have raised concern about the GNU, arguing that it is just a waste of time. Following the opening of parliament on Thursday (18 July), the progressive caucus has argued that the GNU will not stand the test of time, because its members differ politically

Amidst rising living costs and an increase in decline rates from formal lenders, many consumers are being forced into accessing high-cost credit from unregulated lenders. Due to increased compliance requirements and a reduced appetite for risk among formal credit providers, loan decline rates in the formal lending industry have risen significantly. According to MicroFinance South Africa, this trend highlights the urgent need for more inclusive financial services. 

While mental health has become an increasingly important topic in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, a subject that remains relatively untouched is the topic of access to quality mental healthcare for those residing in rural and outlying areas in South Africa. Experts suggest that high unemployment, poverty, violence and political and economic instability have exacerbated the upsurge in mental health disorders. Addressing the even greater lack of accessibility among people living in rural and outlying areas, is one of the local healthcare sector's most pressing challenges

The Special Investigation Unit says the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has failed to design and implement controls to ensure that there is an annual reconciliation between the funds disbursed to institutions of higher learning and the allocation of those funds to the students. This as the SIU has urged students who received NSFAS funds unduly to come forward. The SIU says its in the process of collecting more that 112 Million rands from beneficiaries who did not qualify to be funded by NSFAS. My colleague Udo Carelse spoke to SIU spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago and started by asking how many students have willingly come forward

Civil society organisations say they are extremely concerned about the Department of Basic Education's amended Regulations Relating to Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure. They say the Regulations published in the Government Gazette on 27 June 2024, dilute critical obligations previously placed on the DBE and provincial education departments to make urgent and adequate provision for infrastructure at public schools

Many South Africans under the age of 60 plan to work beyond retirement age, with many seeing retirement as a transition phase. This is according to the 2024 Retirement Insights Survey conducted by FNB. The survey showed that the vast majority of South Africans are insufficiently prepared for retirement, mainly due to economic pressures and a lack of financial literacy. Comparing these finding with the 2023 survey- the study showed that wealthy consumers are feeling more positive overall about their retirement planning,  while Middle consumers feel less positive, with a greater sense of burden and anxiety. To unpack this , Sisanda Jonas, our current affairs produucer earlier spoke with Samukelo Zwane,  Product Head at FNB Wealth and Investments on the latest survey findings