The City of Tshwane’s newly-launched youth economic development programme named Ithuba has been hailed as a game-changer for thousands of young individuals who will benefit from skills development, entrepreneurship training, and job opportunities.

During the inaugural investment summit hosted by the city at Menlyn in Pretoria, Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya expressed her enthusiasm for the programme, saying that it will incubate young entrepreneurs, open up supply chains, create job pathways, and provide technical and artisanal skills. 

The programme aims to create 30,000 opportunities for young people over the next three years, with private companies already on board to provide training, internships, and placements.

Moya emphasised the importance of collaboration, encouraging businesses to offer mentorship, support, and training to young people. 

“There is no way we are going to employ all the young people, not when we have such smart and creative young people,” she said. 

She said the city has allocated an initial R8 million to youth entrepreneurship, with more funding to follow as the programme expands.

“Young people must feature in our procurement plans; they must get tenders in the City of Tshwane; that goes for women and that goes for persons with disabilities,” she said.

According to her, growth that reaches only a few is not growth at all, noting that more than 60% of Tshwane’s residents are under the age of 35. 

“For them, unemployment is not a statistic in a report. It is a daily struggle and a constant worry about the future,” she said.

Moya said Ithuba is not just another initiative, but it is a cornerstone of the city’s economic revitalisation strategy. 

“It recognises that no investment strategy is complete without the energy, creativity, and determination of our youth. It ensures that the benefits of this summit will reach Soshanguve, Mamelodi, Hammanskraal, Atteridgeville, and every township and suburb in our city,” she said.

Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Roads and Transport, Tlangi Mogale, echoed the mayor’s sentiments, highlighting the challenges faced by educated young people who struggle to access job opportunities. 

She stressed the importance of providing opportunities for young people to acquire skills, such as driver’s licenses, to enter the job market or start their own businesses.

MMC for Health, Tshegofatso Mashabela, expressed her hope that the programme will reach young people in different townships across the municipality, not just a select few.

“It must be a programme that touches the hearts and spaces that have never been touched in society,” she said.

Meanwhile, Moya announced on Thursday that the Tshwane Investment Summit has secured R86 billion in investment pledges from 10 private companies across 22 projects in key sectors such as property and construction, automotive, and infrastructure.

She noted that while the summit’s target was R5 billion, investor confidence in Tshwane, South Africa’s fastest-growing metro, far exceeded expectations.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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