“THE DOORS OF LEARNING AND OF CULTURE SHALL BE OPENED” | MINISTER CHAMPIONS YOUTH ACTIVISM AND OPPORTUNITY AT NATIONAL SUMMIT

By Cuma Pantshwa.

• The Department of Social Development wrapped up Youth Month at the National Youth Summit in Boksburg, calling on young people to seize opportunities and drive transformation in their communities.
• Minister Sisisi Tolashe and Director-General Peter Netshipale led spirited engagements and celebrated progress on the promises of the Freedom Charter while emphasising the need to confront unemployment, poverty and social ills through youth-led transformation.
• Delegates were inspired to become agents of change in their communities, ensuring that the doors opened by past sacrifices remain wide for future generations.

They danced. They sang. They chanted freedom songs from the past with the fire and defiance of a generation determined to shape its own tomorrow.
This is how Minister of Social Development Sisisi Tolashe was welcomed when she arrived at the National Youth Summit surrounded by a circle of young people in a moment that was powerful, joyful and unmistakably youthful. The jubilation set the tone for a gathering that not only closed Youth Month but boldly opened the next chapter for South Africa’s largest and most hopeful demographic. Hosted by the Department of Social Development together with partners from government, civil society and the private sector, the Summit sent a powerful message that the doors of learning and culture shall be opened to all.
Minister Tolashe reminded the youth of this historic promise, quoting the Freedom Charter, the declaration that anchored and sustained the fight for liberation for decades. She noted that this year marks its 70th anniversary. The democratic government has ensured that the Freedom Charter forms the Bill of Rights enshrined in our Constitution. These clauses are here as the future we must achieve for our country.
With young people making up more than 38 percent of the country’s population, the Minister echoed the leaders who spoke before her that looking after the youth is not optional, it is a national imperative. South Africa’s young people hold the key to unlocking economic growth and social renewal, but they face stubborn challenges including unemployment, poverty, substance abuse, teenage pregnancies, gender-based violence and a deep sense of marginalisation.
Yet the Summit’s mood was not one of despair but of urgency and collective action. Contrary to what some may say, government does care. And we are acting. She pointed to clear signs of progress that prove the Freedom Charter’s promise stands. The number of adults with no schooling has dropped from 11 percent in 2002 to just 3 percent in 2023. More than half of South Africans over 20 now hold a matric, up from just 30 percent two decades ago. Among social grant beneficiaries, the matric pass rate has climbed to 86 percent, showing that investing in the poorest children is helping break the chains of intergenerational poverty.
But the Minister was clear that learning is only the first door. Economic opportunity must follow.
“We are here to strengthen another important clause of the Freedom Charter that the people shall share in the country’s wealth”. From the President’s State of the Nation Address to the SAYouth.mobi platform, she highlighted how the Department is driving real pathways for young people to find work, build businesses and seize opportunities in the green economy, the digital revolution and the industries of the future. Partnerships with SETAs, universities, TVET colleges and technology hubs are intended to equip young people for the digital economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, ensuring no young person is left behind no matter where they live.
Director-General Peter Netshipale delivered an equally stirring message. We want you to be rich. We want you to employ me when I retire and advise you. We want you to lead and for that purpose we have brought you here to celebrate your achievements and to equip you to empower others when you return home. He pressed the youth to go beyond personal growth and spark change in their communities. Each of you must go back and light the fire. One youth is equivalent to fifteen more. If you are 150 here, you must go back and empower fifteen more.
Netshipale also acknowledged that not everyone applauds government investment in youth enterprises, recalling criticism of support for a youth-owned hair salon in Hillbrow. But he stood firm. Yes, we want you to own that space. We want you to own the car wash. We want you to own the means of employment so you can employ others. He assured delegates that the Department, along with SASSA and the NDA, is committed to making sure young people are directly linked to programmes that uplift their lives. That is why we brought SASSA and NDA here, not just for speeches, but so that when you go back, you are targeted for support.
Echoing the Minister’s call, Netshipale challenged the youth to embrace this moment fully. This is the City of Gold. Take time to see how people live, how buildings stretch to the sky. Be exposed and take that vision home with you. There is a journey in every young person. It will shape your future, inspire others and help us build a better country. We are here to walk with you.
As the Summit concluded, the Minister stressed that all these interventions must be implemented within the context of the District Development Model so that young people in rural communities are empowered too. At the end of this Summit, we need concrete agreements that will benefit young people in every rural district.
She closed with a reminder to take charge and open their eyes to the opportunities around them. “The doors are open, step through them boldly and hold them open for those who come after you. Please take every opportunity given to you to be agents of change for your communities and families” she urged.