The Minister of Human Settlements, Lindiwe Sisulu, South Africa’s youth organisations and department’s key stakeholders signed the National Human Settlements Youth Accord (NHSYA) for active participation in sustainable human settlements development.

The youth accord is the outcome of a one-day National Human Settlements Youth Summit held in Johannesburg to discuss government housing programmes aimed at empowering young people while mobilising them to support government and department’s priorities in the next five years. Key to the department of Human Settlements priorities is the delivery of 1.5 million housing opportunities by 2019 with a special focus to elderly, child-headed household and military veterans.

In putting resolutions of the Human Settlements Youth Summit into action, the department and different stakeholders today (02 December 2014) launched the National Human Settlements Youth Brigade at Savana City, Midvaal with 100 youth participating in the actual building of houses.

Youth Brigade programme will see youth getting training in different construction fields and the running of small businesses while getting experienced at catalytic projects across the country.

Addressing the Summit Minister Sisulu said the Youth Brigade’s Youth Brigade‘s strategic intervention and rational is among others, to “create a sustainable reservoir of sufficiently skilled young people who will sustain the construction sector beyond the 5th Administration; ensure that this crop of builders and construction workers is well supported and sustained through mentorship and other professional support and ensure that such a crop of construction workers inspire other young people to take up the task of re-building their country;

Sisulu also challenged young people to build their future. “Young people are not our priority candidates for welfare and free housing. What our young people have which not even Apartheid could take away is their youth. You have the rest of your lives ahead of you. Our responsibility as the government is to empower you, educate you, provide you with work experience and opportunities and to the extent that we can provide you with jobs”, said Sisulu.

The Youth Summit was attended by Minister of Small Business Development, Lindiwe Zulu who committed her Ministry towards support for young people and Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Buti Manamela who encouraged youth to participate in the development of National Youth Policy.

Enquiries:
Ndivhuwo Mabaya, Ministry Spokesperson
Mobile: 083 645 7838 
Issued by the Ministry of Human Settlements 
Date: 02 December 2014