Half Title Page
Youth Development in South Africa
Series Page
DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES ON CREATING A FAIRER SOCIETY
A fair society is one that is just, inclusive and embracing of all without any barriers to participation based on sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, ethnicity, age, class, ability or any other social difference. One where there is access to healthcare and education, technology, justice, strong institutions, peace and security, social protection, decent work and housing. But how can research truly contribute to creating global equity and diversity without showcasing diverse voices that are underrepresented in academia or paying specific attention to the Global South?
Including books addressing key challenges and issues within the social sciences which are essential to creating a fairer society for all with specific reference to the Global South, Diverse Perspectives on Creating a Fairer Society amplifies underrepresented voices – showcasing Black, Asian and minority ethnic voices, authorship from the Global South, and academics who work to amplify diverse voices.
With the primary aim of showcasing authorship and voices from beyond the Global North, the series welcomes submissions from established and junior authors on cutting-edge and high-level research on key topics that feature in global news and public debate, specifically from and about the Global South in national and international contexts. Harnessing research across a range of diversities of people and place to generate previously unheard insights, the series offers a truly global perspective on the current societal debates of the 21st century – bringing contemporary debate in the social sciences from diverse voices to light.
Previous Titles
Disaster, Displacement and Resilient Livelihoods: Perspectives From South Asia edited by M. Rezaul Islam
Pandemic, Politics, and a Fairer Society in Southeast Asia: A Malaysian Perspective edited by Syaza Shukri
Empowering Female Climate Change Activists in the Global South: The Path Toward Environmental Social Justice by Peggy Ann Spitzer
Gendered Perspectives of Restorative Justice, Violence and Resilience: An International Framework by Bev Orton
Social Sector Development and Inclusive Growth in India by Ishu Chadda
The Socially Constructed and Reproduced Youth Delinquency in Southeast Asia: Advancing Positive Youth Involvement in Sustainable Futures by Jason Hung
Forthcoming Titles
Debt Crisis and Popular Social Protest in Sri Lanka: Investigating Citizenship, Development and Democracy Within Global North–South Dynamics by S. Janaka Biyanwila
Critical Reflections on the Internationalisation of Higher Education in the Global South edited by Emnet Tadesse Woldegiorgis and Cheryl Qiumei Yu
Title Page
Youth Development in South Africa: Harnessing the Demographic Dividend
EDITED BY
BOTSHABELO MAJA
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
AND
BUSANI NGCAWENI
Wits School of Governance, South Africa
United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China
Copyright Page
Emerald Publishing Limited
Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL.
First edition 2023
Editorial matter and selection © 2023 Botshabelo Maja and Busani Ngcaweni.
Individual chapters © 2023 the authors.
Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.
Reprints and permissions service
Contact: www.copyright.com
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-83753-409-8 (Print)
ISBN: 978-1-83753-408-1 (Online)
ISBN: 978-1-83753-410-4 (Epub)
Dedication Page
1. Oh! (step)children of the Empire, this grief is not yours
Contents
| List of Figures and Tables | ix |
| Foreword | xiii |
| Introduction | |
| Botshabelo Maja and Busani Ngcaweni | 1 |
| Part One: Understanding Youth and Their Demographic Dividend | |
| Chapter One: Demographic Dynamics of South Africa’s Youth and the Implications for Harnessing the Demographic Dividend | |
| Nompumelelo Nzimande | 11 |
| Part Two: Pandemics and Youth | |
| Chapter Two: Youth and HIV in South Africa: Living and Thriving with HIV | |
| Nompumelelo Zungu, Warren Parker, Inbarani Naidoo, Mokhantšo Makoae and Salome Sigida | 29 |
| Chapter Three: Young People, Social Media and Exposure to STIs: A Semi-ethnographic Experiment | |
| Busani Ngcaweni | 41 |
| Part Three: Youth Transitions | |
| Chapter Four: Building Maps of the Future | |
| Botshabelo Maja | 61 |
| Chapter Five: Youth Career Decision-making: The Influence of Horizon for Action and Navigational Capacity | |
| Lucky Maluleke and Lesley Powell | 81 |
| Chapter Six: Breaking Barriers, Transforming Lives – Youth Transitions to Work and What it Takes: A Case Study of the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator | |
| Sharmi Surianarain and Rob Urquhart | 97 |
| Part Four: Youth Development and Growth | |
| Chapter Seven: Right to Quality Education in Africa: A Critical Tool for a Sustainable Development Agenda | |
| Rita Ozoemena | 117 |
| Chapter Eight: A Holistic Approach to Personal Transformation in the Youth Sector | |
| Lucille Meyer and Rajendra Chetty | 129 |
| Part Five: Youth Employment | |
| Chapter Nine: A Conceptual Frame for Reviewing Youth Employment Interventions: Based on a Review of Opportunities for Youth in South Africa | |
| Carmel Marock, Sindile Moitse and Josephilda Nhlapo-Hlope | 147 |
| Conclusion | |
| Botshabelo Maja and Busani Ngcaweni | 187 |
| Appendices | 189 |
| References and Further Reading | 205 |
| Index | 223 |
List of Figures and Tables
Figures
| Chapter One | ||
| Fig. 1. | Age Structure of South Africa Population. | 15 |
| Fig. 2. | Age Structure of South Africa Population by Province. | 16 |
| Fig. 3. | Annual Growth Rate (Percentages) by Age Groups in SA. | 17 |
| Fig. 4. | HIV Prevalence of Youth 15−35 Years Old. | 23 |
| Fig. 5. | Percentage Distribution of Deaths by Age and Year of Death. | 24 |
| Fig. 6. | Maternal Mortality Ratio From Community Survey of 2016. | 25 |
| Chapter Four | ||
| Fig. 1. | Conceptual Framework – Capacity to Aspire (Maja, 2022). | 65 |
| Fig. 2. | Young People’s Appreciation of Parenting. | 66 |
| Fig. 3. | Young People’s Reflections of Social Issues. | 67 |
| Fig. 4. | Young People’s Multiple Identities. | 68 |
| Fig. 5. | Young People’s Appreciation of Talent. | 69 |
| Fig. 6. | Young People’s Real Identities. | 70 |
| Fig. 7. | Young People and Peer Pressure. | 71 |
| Fig. 8. | Young People Online Pressure. | 72 |
| Fig. 9. | Young People’s Online Reflections. | 73 |
| Fig. 10. | Artefact 1. | 74 |
| Fig. 11. | Artefact 3. | 77 |
| Chapter Six | ||
| Fig. 1. | Labour Market Transitions for African Youth. | 99 |
| Fig. 2. | Categories of Youth Interventions in South Africa. | 100 |
| Fig. 3. | Private Sector Entry-level Placements Through Attrition and Growth. | 101 |
| Fig. 4. | The New Paradigm for Youth Labour Market Transitions. | 103 |
| Fig. 5. | Gender Profile of Harambee Youth. | 104 |
| Fig. 6. | Income Status of Harambee Female Youth. | 105 |
| Fig. 7. | Comparison of Ease of Finding First and Second Job. | 105 |
| Fig. 8. | Employment Progression From First to Second Job by Sector. | 106 |
| Fig. 9. | Employment Progression From Less Complex to More Complex Jobs. | 106 |
| Fig. 10. | Labour Market Transitions as Effected by Length of Unemployment. | 107 |
| Fig. 11. | Reported Barriers to Seeking Employment for Harambee Youth. | 108 |
| Fig. 12. | Correlation of the Relationship Between Job Retention and Share of Pay for Transport. | 109 |
| Fig. 13. | Correlation of Numerical Performance and Learning Potential. | 110 |
| Chapter Eight | ||
| Fig. 1. | The CA’s Holistic Approach. | 139 |
| Chapter Nine | ||
| Fig. 1. | Conceptual Framework for Understanding ‘Failures’ in Youth Transitions. | 150 |
| Fig. 2. | Categories of Youth. | 151 |
| Fig. 3. | Proposed Conceptual Framework. | 152 |
| Fig. 4. | Categories of Youth Programmes in South Africa. | 152 |
| Fig. 5. | An overview of Government Employment Programming. | 153 |
| Fig. 6. | Types of Government Youth Employment Programmes. | 154 |
| Fig. 7. | Clustered Types of Government Programmes. | 154 |
| Fig. 8. | Activities Prior to Starting the Programme. | 155 |
| Fig. 9. | Elements Included in the Programme. | 155 |
| Fig. 10. | What Participants Emerge With on Completion of the Programme. | 155 |
| Fig. 11. | Overall National Government Spend on Youth Initiatives (Spend per annum). | 156 |
| Fig. 12. | Provincial Spend on Youth Initiatives, Including the Administration Portion. | 156 |
| Fig. 13. | Youth Employment Related Programmes Offered in the Private Sector. | 158 |
| Fig. 14. | Clustered Types of Private Sector Programmes. | 158 |
| Fig. 15. | Type of Opportunities Provided to New Entrants. | 159 |
| Fig. 16. | Number of Opportunities Provided to New Entrants. | 159 |
| Fig. 17. | Why Did You Offer These Opportunities? | 160 |
| Fig. 18. | Provincial Distribution of Youth Organisations Registered With DSD. | 161 |
| Fig. 19. | Registered Youth Organisations and Youth, Per Province. | 161 |
| Fig. 20. | Recurrence of Words in Names of Youth Organisations on DSD Database. | 162 |
| Fig. 21. | Types of Youth Programmes Run by NGOs. | 162 |
| Fig. 22. | NGO Programmes Clustered by Type. | 163 |
| Fig. 23. | Elements Included in Youth Programmes Offered by NGOs. | 163 |
| Fig. 24. | What Young People Emerge From the Programme With? | 164 |
| Fig. 25. | Clustered Programmes Across the Public and Private Sectors, and the NGO Sphere. | 164 |
| Fig. 26. | What Made it Easier For You to Take on These New Entrants (Overall). | 173 |
Tables
| Chapter One | ||
| Table 1. | Intercensal Growth Rate of Youth Population. | 16 |
| Table 2. | Sex Ratio of South Africa Youth − 2016. | 19 |
| Table 3. | Youth Female Fertility Indicators. | 20 |
| Table 4. | Youth Fertility Indicators by Province. | 22 |
Foreword
It is my pleasure to introduce this important book on youth development and harnessing the demographic dividend in South Africa. As we all know, youth represent the future of any society, and their development and empowerment are critical for the prosperity of the nation. As the world’s population continues to grow, so does the importance of investing in the development of young people. In South Africa, where 35.7% of the population is under the age of 35, the potential for harnessing the demographic dividend is enormous. With the right investments and policies, South Africa can turn its youthful population into a driving force for economic and social development.
This book on Youth Development and Harnessing the Demographic Dividend in South Africa is a timely and important contribution to the conversation around how best to support young people in realizing their full potential – As it has been well documented that young people do not want a handout, but want a hand up! The contributors of this book have brought together a wealth of knowledge and expertise from a range of disciplines to provide a comprehensive analysis of the challenges facing South Africa’s youth and the opportunities that exist for their empowerment. Through a combination of rigorous research and case studies, the contributors demonstrate how investing in young people can lead to positive outcomes across a range of areas, including education, health, employment, and civic engagement.
They also highlight the key role that policy-makers, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders can play in creating an enabling environment for youth development. The book can be read in six parts: Part One uses a detailed statistical analysis to provide the demographic dynamics of South Africa’s youth and the implications for harnessing the demographic dividend for economic growth and development in South Africa. Part Two details key challenges faced by youth both in South Africa and globally by looking at pandemics that have befallen society in the last three decades. Part Three of the book focusses on youth transitions and possibilities for the future. These include youth aspirations, youth career decision-making, and youth transitions to work. Part Four deals with development and growth. It first looks at available international instruments for development and growth and their implications for youth. Part Five provides an outline of youth employment difficulties and opportunities in South Africa. In Part Six of the book, the focus is on youth participation, inclusivity, social protection. This is done by looking at Treseder’s Youth Participation Model, and South Africa’s students smite for policy Inclusivity.
The book also provides practical recommendations for how to design and implement effective youth-focused programs and policies, and offers insights into the factors that contribute to their success. I commend the authors for their commitment to advancing the empowerment of young people in South Africa, and for their efforts to bring attention to the critical importance of harnessing the demographic dividend. I have no doubt that this book will be an important resource for anyone interested in supporting the development of young people and building a brighter future for the country. The book is a product of the collective efforts of various experts and stakeholders in the youth development space in South Africa, and their contributions reflect a deep understanding of the issues facing young people and the solutions needed to address them. I am confident that this work will be a valuable resource for policy-makers, practitioners, researchers, and anyone interested in advancing the well-being and empowerment of young people in the country. This is a brilliantly written and edited book that should be read by every young person who wants to understand where we are and where we are going as a country.
It will be the blueprint for all studies into the problems and interventions government and social partners ought to take to ensure that #WeTheYouth participate in creating the country we want to live in now and will eventually inherit. I urge all readers to engage with the ideas and insights presented in this book and to use them as a basis for action that can help unlock the potential of the youth population in South Africa and promote the country’s sustainable development. In conclusion, harnessing the demographic dividend in South Africa requires a holistic approach to youth development. This includes investing in education, skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship, as well as promoting social inclusion and addressing underlying challenges such as poverty and inequality. By investing in young people, South Africa can create a more prosperous and inclusive society that benefits all its citizens, while also redressing past imbalances.
Nonceba Mhlauli
National Convener: African National Congress Youth League
Member of the National Executive Committee: African National Congress
Doctoral Candidate, University of South Africa
