The core mandate of department is lobbying through mainstreaming for the rights of women, youth and disabled persons with other departments, organisation to be more conscious to the needs of all risk groups or vulnerable groups in what accelerating defending human rights and to accelerate services delivery. Furthermore the promotion of equal opportunities to participation by women, youth and disabled persons and LGBTQIA communities.
The mandate of department is to develop policies, monitor and account the Gender Responsive Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring, Evaluation and Auditing. Analysing government wide Annual performance plans to guide, monitor key performance indicates to respond to public procurement policy to attain the 40 % for women, 30% for youth and 7 % disabled persons. The empowerment of government departments to execute their core mandates and transforming society and accounting on plans, progress and achievement.
The above will achieve an equal society, inclusive economies and representative ownership in decision making and their rights and responsibilities. For example sanitary dignity program to eradicate menstrual poverty and to educate both sexes in society.
The South African government recognises the need to address these disparities and has therefore developed policies and frameworks aimed at promoting a just, equitable and humane developmental state. Over the MTEF period, the department will continue to confront gender-based violence and support the socio-economic empowerment and emancipation of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. We will continue to promote responsive planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation across government; supporting youth empowerment; promote and advance the rights of people with disabilities.
The more than half (50%) of our population that lived in poverty before the pandemic was pushed further down the livelihood ladder, and many more have joined the unemployed, particularly the youth. The limited asset base they had built was further weakened, leading to the rise of precarity and general socio-economic insecurity. As far back as the first quarter of the year 2020, South Africa already experienced record levels of unemployment, particularly amongst youth.
Against this backdrop, to make the most of available resources beyond our department, we will be rallying all of government and all of society to treat and respond to unemployment in general and youth unemployment in particular as a national crisis and an apex priority of the South African government. To this end, the Department is leading a process of developing a sector-wide Youth Employment Action Plan for implementation by government, state owned entities, national public entities, private sector, parastatals, and development partners.
Furthermore, the Department is also coordinating implementation of the 4IR (4th Industrial Revolution) Youth Digital Skills and Employment initiatives, aimed at assisting the youth to acquire the much needed 21st century digital skills for employment and entrepreneurship. The delivery of this programme will be in line with the District Development strategy where Information and Communication Technology skills will be aligned with the demands of a specific district will be offered. The District Incubation Centres will become the hub that defines the Digital Skills need of that particular district. Two Digital Skills domains will drive the digitization of each district and these domains will be Digital Skills for All domain as well as the Skills for Employability domain. Digital Skills for all, will focus on provision of digital skills to young citizens, and this will include courses such as Digital Literacy, Information Technology Essentials, Networking and End-User computing. Digital Skills for employability will equip the youth with skills such as Digital Marketing Training; Cybersecurity; Software Development and Networking, etc. Also the second changes for girls regarding to skills development in STEM subjects
The youth is working on the projects to support livelihood Restoration, Wealth Creation, Poverty, and Hunger Alleviation Programmes in 5 of the top 10 Poorest District Municipalities in South Africa in KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo in Vhembe, Eastern Cape, OR Tambo district municipally
Integrated- Farming Value Chain Cooperatives
Poverty-stricken communities face numerous challenges, including hunger, weakened livelihoods, and limited economic opportunities, little to no income and inadequate access to resources. These challenges contribute to a cycle of poverty, which disproportionately affects women and youth, particularly those in rural and township communities. Against this backdrop, we have adopted an All-of-Government and All-of-Society Approach to Livelihood Restoration, Wealth Creation, Poverty and Hunger Alleviation through special projects that will be rolled across 5 of the country’s top 10 poorest districts, where the greatest need exists.
Intergenerational dialogues responding to social ills- such as teenage pregnancies, youth and substance abuse.