By Akani Nkuna 

The Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) created 139,693 earning opportunities for young people through the National Pathway Management Network during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.

Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli told reporters on Wednesday that of these opportunities, 106,093 were secured through SA Youth, while a further 33,600 earning and learning opportunities were secured through Employment Services South Africa (ESSA).

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She was outlining the PYEI quarterly progress report covering the period between April to June 2026. The network is designed to link unemployed youth with training, support and earning opportunities.

Mhlauli said the SA Youth platform had enabled 2.6 million youth to access opportunities since its establishment in 2020. Close to 70% of the opportunities were accessed by young women.

Since the establishment of ESSA, close to 5.7 million young people have registered with the service and 386,733 of them have secured opportunities.

“At the same time, we recognise that temporary opportunities alone cannot resolve South Africa’s youth unemployment challenge. This is why the PYEI also focuses on systems change, demand-led skills development, enterprise development, sustainable earning pathways and connecting young people to opportunities through a national network,” Mhlauli said.

She said the Youth Employment Service placed 5,244 young people into workplace experience opportunities in the first quarter, adding that 233,393 workplace experience opportunities have been delivered since the establishment of PYEI.

A total of 2866 people were recruited during phase five of the revitalised National Youth Service programme. 

“This is the largest phase of the revitalised National Youth Service to date and [it] is recruiting 100,000 young people across South Africa. Since inception, the National Youth Service has provided 140,922 paid service opportunities across its five phases, with young women accounting for 68% of these opportunities,” said Mhlauli.

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The PYEI also supports enterprise development and self-employment, providing alternatives for young people who struggle to find traditional employment. During the quarter, the National Youth Development Agency provided 5,214 enterprise support opportunities, including 4,795 non-financial and 419 financial opportunities.

A total of R95 million was committed to the fourth National Pathway Management Network Innovation Fund to support innovative youth employment solutions – particularly in rural communities – for young people with disabilities and through civil society and youth-led organisations.

“The impact of the PYEI cannot be assessed only by the number of young people who access an opportunity. We must also understand what happens afterwards: whether young people move into further opportunities, secure sustainable income, progress into employment or enterprise, and whether the pathways we are creating are helping young people build livelihoods,” said Mhlauli. 

Youth unemployment remains one of the country’s most pressing economic and social challenges.

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By Charmaine Ndlela

Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has challenged industry to ensure that skills development translates into employment as Services SETA and the Takealot Group launched a three-year partnership on Tuesday, targeting 20,000 income-generating opportunities.

The partnership is backed by an initial Services SETA investment of about R103 million and aims to create pathways from training to workplace experience, entrepreneurship and income generation, particularly within South Africa’s growing digital economy.

Manamela said the initiative formed part of government’s broader “skills revolution” and responded to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call for training to lead to employment.

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“Every training that takes place in the country must lead to employment,” Manamela said.

He said one of the biggest challenges facing the post-school education and training system was limited participation by employers in providing workplace opportunities to students and graduates.

While government had invested heavily in universities, TVET colleges, community education and training centres and other institutions, Manamela said the system could not succeed without employers opening their doors to young people.

“One of the major catalysts has been the absence of employers actively participating, opening up their doors, and hosting students either as entrepreneurs or as future employees,” he said.

The Takealot partnership is intended to address that gap by linking training to practical opportunities in the platform economy.

The programmes include work-integrated learning placements for TVET college learners, critical-skills bursaries, Personal Shopper training and tools of trade, driver development and training, Marketplace SME localisation and digital training for small businesses.

Manamela said the partnership was designed to go beyond conventional training and expose young people to different ways of participating in the economy.

“We’re not just going to be using this programme to train people to ride bikes,” he said.

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While driver training forms part of the initiative, Manamela said the broader objective was to enable young people to participate as entrepreneurs, connect customers with goods and use digital platforms to access economic opportunities.

He said the partnership could potentially be replicated with other companies and across different sectors of the economy.

Manamela said the success of the programme would depend on whether participants moved from classrooms and training programmes into internships, employment, entrepreneurship or other sustainable income-generating opportunities.

“If this programme becomes a success, we will ensure that not only do we expand, but we also replicate,” he said.

About 500 students from Gauteng community colleges are also expected to participate, broadening the programme beyond TVET students and graduates.

Manamela said this would expose community college students to digital opportunities and help connect different parts of the post-school education system to the changing demands of the economy.

“We want to call on industries to partner with us so that we’re able to train for the skills that industry itself requires,” he said.

He acknowledged concerns from employers about the complexity and time involved in government systems, saying these were issues that needed to be addressed.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Yusuf Cassim said the launch represented a shift from signing agreements to implementing them.

The relationship between the department and Takealot dates back to a strategic memorandum of understanding signed in September 2025. The agreement established a framework for collaboration around workplace learning, bursaries, learning materials and support for township entrepreneurs and small businesses in the digital economy.

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“An MOU is a commitment. A partnership is a mechanism. But implementation is where the commitment becomes real,” Cassim said.

He said the R103 million investment would support workplace learning for TVET learners, critical-skills bursaries, Personal Shopper training, driver development, Marketplace SME localisation and digital training for small businesses.

Cassim said the initiative should ultimately be measured by its effect on individual participants.

“Did they acquire a skill? Did they gain meaningful workplace experience? Did they earn an income? Did they gain access to a market?” he said.

He said township-based entrepreneurs should be able to participate in the modern economy without necessarily having to leave their communities.

Through technology, skills development, market access and private-sector partnerships, young people could be connected to larger markets while small businesses gained access to new customers, Cassim said.

Services SETA administrator Lehlogonolo Masoga said the partnership was intended to bring training and economic opportunity closer together.

“We have entered into this partnership with Takealot to translate the skills revolution into employment creation opportunities,” Masoga said.

He said the three-year programme would combine training with employment opportunities and would be monitored to assess its impact on participants.

Services SETA regards the initiative as a pilot that could be expanded if it produces the intended results.

Takealot Group CEO Frederik Zietsman said the partnership would connect young South Africans with an existing digital economy and a range of income-generating activities.

Zietsman said more than 18,000 personal shoppers were already earning income in their communities, with most based in townships, while more than 20,000 independent contractor drivers and more than 18,000 small businesses were operating on the platform.

“This is change in action,” he said.

He said the partnership was not simply about funding but about creating opportunities that were practically accessible to young people.

He highlighted personal shoppers, drivers, township-based marketplace sellers and work-integrated learning opportunities for TVET students as pathways connecting learning to earning.

“The partnership with the Services SETA does not bring to us just money,” Zietsman said. “It brings to us the faces of youth that is looking for opportunities that are practically accessible to them.”

Zietsman also committed Takealot to measuring the programme’s impact, saying that failing to do so would mean failing the people it was intended to benefit.

He said Takealot had grown over 13 years into a business generating about $2 billion in revenue and that its approach to the partnership would be based on implementation rather than promises.

“There is an ocean between saying and doing, and we are on the side of doing,” he said.

Manamela said the programme’s success would not be judged by the amount of money invested or the number of people enrolled, but by what happened to participants after entering the programme.

“The only measure of success is that a significant number of those who participate as students in this programme must lead to some form of employment or internship,” he said.

He said government would monitor the commitments made under the partnership, including the R103 million investment and the target of 20,000 opportunities.

According to Manamela, about R4 billion from the National Skills Fund and SETAs is being directed towards partnerships with industry, with more than 100,000 students expected to be placed in work-integrated learning programmes.

He said the Takealot programme was separate from those 100,000 placements.

Manamela also called on more employers to participate in skills development partnerships with government.

He said companies contribute to the skills development levy, with portions of the funds flowing to SETAs and the National Skills Fund, while employers can claim back a portion of their allocation under existing legislation and regulations.

The partnership comes as Services SETA expands workplace opportunities for unemployed young people. Its separate To The Power of X² programme is targeting 20,000 structured, 24-month internship opportunities for unemployed university and TVET graduates.

The department has also identified workplace-based learning and stronger employer participation as key components of its 2026/27 delivery priorities, with the broader system expected to increase opportunities for students to gain practical experience.

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By Charmaine Ndlela & Lebone Rodah Mosima 

For Grade 11 and 12 learners still weighing their career options, the Educonnect Media Future Economy & Career Expo 2026 offered a one-stop platform to explore study opportunities, emerging careers and the skills needed for the future economy.

Held at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Business School on Monday, the expo brought together high school learners, parents, educators, universities, TVET colleges and industry leaders in an effort to help young people make informed decisions about their studies and future careers.

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Throughout the day, learners toured the various exhibition stands, engaging directly with representatives from higher education institutions, companies and organisations offering information on study programmes, careers, bursaries, internships and other opportunities.

Many learners used the opportunity to ask questions about career paths they were considering, while others sought clarity on admission requirements, qualifications and the skills they would need to remain relevant in a rapidly changing job market.

The programme focused on sectors including artificial intelligence, fintech, logistics, supply chain, digital transformation, emerging technologies, retail, manufacturing, engineering, hospitality, entrepreneurship and future skills.

Universities exhibiting at the event included Wits University, the University of the Free State, UJ, Rhodes University, North-West University, Tshwane University of Technology, UNISA and Vaal University of Technology.

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Other participating institutions included the AAA School of Advertising, Netcare Education, Inscape, SACAP and Open Window, alongside TVET colleges and corporate partners.

Industry exhibitors included the CSIR, NMMF, SNG Grant Thornton, Wray Castle Africa, VW Hatfield, Cultural Care Au Pair and Southpoint Student Accommodation, among others.

Learners were able to collect information from the different exhibitors and provide their details to institutions and organisations offering opportunities aligned with their interests.

The expo provided direct access to information on bursaries, internships and graduate programmes, while career guidance was offered across fields including business, technology, innovation, finance, manufacturing, logistics and entrepreneurship.

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By Thapelo Molefe

Tourism businesses are being forced to train students from scratch because some university courses are failing to equip learners with the practical skills needed to work in the industry, Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa) national chairperson Oupa Pilane says.

Pilane, who is also co-founder and director of the Graskop Gorge Lift Company, said the disconnect between what universities teach and what tourism businesses need was making it harder for the sector to bring young people into the workforce, while placing an additional burden on already stretched entrepreneurs.

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“Unfortunately, what we are looking for, we are looking for people to run our enterprises. And the current modules that we have are not helping us to do that,” he said.

Speaking to Inside Education at the Mpumalanga Tourism Expo in Mbombela, Pilane called on universities and other tertiary institutions to work directly with the tourism sector when developing their courses.

“We’ve repeatedly asked tertiary institutions to say, sit with us as the sector. And let us advise you on what our needs are,” Pilane said.

He said businesses wanted interns and graduates who could apply their knowledge immediately instead of requiring employers to start their training from the beginning.

“All I want, whether it’s an intern, I want a plug and play,” he said.

Pilane said the problem was evident in different areas of the industry.

“I’ve got a good chef who can’t cost. Yeah, you cook nice food, but you can’t cost a plate,” he said.

He said a similar problem emerged when he took students from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) into the adventure tourism environment.

“They have introduced an adventure module there. I took some of the kids. I had to show them from scratch what to do,” Pilane said.

He said the students were unable to perform the work when they arrived, requiring the business to provide additional training.

“I took students from TUT, they couldn’t do anything. They were standing like me there because they just couldn’t do anything,” he said.

Pilane said this showed why universities needed to consult businesses before introducing specialised tourism courses.

“The problem is that when they were developing that module of tourism they never sat with tourism, with adventure people around,” he said.

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He said businesses were willing to take in students but could not continually carry the cost of teaching basic practical skills that should be addressed through training.

“So in between, as much as we really need to be able to bring in the students and everything, is that it ends up being an extra work for the already stretched entrepreneur, because now we must begin to teach them from scratch,” Pilane said.

The skills gap, he said, was also contributing to a shortage of South Africans with the management skills needed to run tourism businesses, particularly among people from previously disadvantaged communities.

“One of the biggest challenges that South Africa has is management skills in the tourism sector. We have very few South Africans that can be managers, especially from the previously disadvantaged communities,” Pilane said.

He said Mpumalanga had agreed on a target that businesses should not employ more than 15% non-South Africans, with foreign workers expected to bring specific skills into the sector.

Pilane said the shortage of suitably skilled South Africans could result in foreign nationals filling some management positions.

“So you then find that you will then have a lot of Mozambicans in those positions or a lot of Zimbabweans in particular in those positions,” he said.

Pilane said addressing the skills shortage was part of a bigger challenge facing Mpumalanga as the province sought to turn its tourism attractions into sustainable economic activity and jobs.

He said young people were already participating in the tourism sector, but more deliberate platforms were needed to connect them with tourism opportunities.

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One area he identified was content creation, saying young people could be used more intentionally to market tourism destinations.

Pilane said the sector had engaged the Bushbuckridge Local Tourism Organisation on bringing content creators into tourism as an economic activity rather than treating content creation as something that happened incidentally when people visited attractions.

“We want to involve young people. Young people are involved in the tourism sector. We may think that they may not. They are involved,” he said.

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By Bhekizenzo Zonele

Nearly 550 offenders and community book-club participants are taking part in the 16th Funda Mzantsi Championship, which opened in George in the Western Cape on Monday.

The annual programme brings together 299 offenders and 244 community book-club participants from all nine provinces for reading, debate and literacy activities.

Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald said the programme had expanded beyond a reading competition to include a focus on literacy, critical thinking and personal development.

“Funda Mzantsi has evolved to a vibrant celebration of literacy and reading,” Groenewald said.

He said the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) had also recorded improvements in Grade 12 results among offenders participating in the programme.

He said rehabilitation should form part of the correctional system alongside incarceration, with education and literacy programmes intended to better prepare offenders for life after release.

According to DCS, many offenders enter correctional facilities with limited educational opportunities, which can make it more difficult for them to find work or pursue further studies after serving their sentences.

The department uses reading clubs, training programmes and access to books and other educational resources as part of its rehabilitation programmes.

DCS said Funda Mzantsi had also helped some participants develop writing and publishing skills, with the programme aimed at encouraging new writers, poets and publishers.

National Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Thobakgale said rehabilitation remained a central part of the department’s mandate.

“Yes, we incarcerate, but we also correct and also rehabilitate.”

George Municipality Mayor Jackie Von Brandis said the championship had become an established event in the city and had helped maintain interest in reading and literacy.

The programme also includes activities in South Africa’s official languages, while Nama, an indigenous Khoekhoe language spoken particularly in the Northern Cape, is being trialled for possible inclusion in the competition.

The National Library of South Africa (NLSA), one of the organisations involved in the programme, said access to reading and publishing opportunities should extend to people regardless of their circumstances.

“Today you might be an inmate and tomorrow you might be an author, and the day after you might be a publisher, and that’s what Funda Mzantsi strives for,” the NLSA said.

The championship runs until 2 October.

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By Thapelo Molefe

South Africa has incorporated a new HIV testing strategy into routine public healthcare to help clinicians quickly determine whether a patient’s treatment is failing because of drug resistance or because they have not been taking their medication consistently.

The strategy, developed through the Intensified Treatment Evaluation and Monitoring Approach (ITREMA-2) study, uses a blood test to check whether the HIV medicine dolutegravir is present in a patient’s system when their viral load increases.

Researchers from Wits University, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) and University Medical Center Utrecht say the approach can help ensure that resistance testing is targeted at patients who need it most, while avoiding unnecessary and costly tests.

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“An increased viral load does not automatically mean that treatment is failing because of drug resistance,” said Professor Annemarie Wensing, lead researcher from Wits Ezintsha and University Medical Center Utrecht.

“Measuring dolutegravir in the same sample helps identify who needs resistance testing and provides clinicians and nurses with objective information to better support medication intake.”

The ITREMA-2 study involved 288 people living with HIV receiving treatment at Hillbrow Community Health Centre and Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg.

When a patient’s viral load rises while they are receiving antiretroviral treatment, healthcare workers need to establish why the treatment is no longer controlling the virus.

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Under the new approach, the patient’s blood is first checked for dolutegravir. If the medicine is not detected, this may indicate that the patient has not been taking their medication consistently, making drug resistance less likely.

If dolutegravir is present but the virus continues to multiply, resistance to the medicine becomes a concern and a resistance test can then be conducted.

The researchers said this provides clinicians with an objective way of distinguishing between possible treatment non-adherence and drug resistance instead of immediately assuming that the medication has stopped working.

The approach could also reduce the cost of monitoring patients with confirmed virological failure.

Researchers estimated that laboratory monitoring costs could be 23% lower than under the previous standard approach because unnecessary resistance tests can be avoided.

Dr Kim Steegen, co-principal investigator of the study and a researcher at the NHLS and Wits University, said the research had been conducted in collaboration with the National Department of Health.

“We have worked with the National Department of Health since the onset of the project and kept them informed on the study results as the project progressed,” Steegen said.

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“By doing this, we have been able to include an adapted version of ITREMA-2 into the national guidelines, which means the people who need resistance testing the most can be easily identified.”

It could also allow healthcare workers to provide more targeted adherence support to patients who are struggling to take their medication consistently.

The ITREMA-2 study was published in The Lancet HIV on 2 September.

The study was funded by the Amsterdam Dinner Foundation through Aidsfonds and the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

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By Thapelo Molefe

Suspended University of Fort Hare (UFH) Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Sakhela Buhlungu has resigned, but the university’s Council says his resignation cannot take immediate effect because his contract requires him to serve a notice period.

Buhlungu submitted his resignation on Monday, shortly before he was due to begin presenting his defence at a disciplinary hearing.

He is facing charges including gross misconduct, insubordination and bringing the institution into disrepute. One of the allegations against him is that he unlawfully appointed two executive directors.

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Buhlungu’s resignation came while the disciplinary process was still underway, with Council saying he had chosen not to use the opportunity to respond to the allegations against him.

“By doing so, he has elected not to make use of the fair and meaningful opportunity afforded to him to respond to the serious allegations levelled against him,” Council said in a communiqué issued on Tuesday.

Buhlungu wants his resignation to take effect immediately, but Council said it had not accepted this because his employment contract requires him to serve a notice period.

Council said it had reserved the right to continue with the disciplinary process during the applicable notice period in accordance with the university’s Employee Relations Policy.

“Although Professor Buhlungu has chosen to resign while the disciplinary process is still underway, his resignation does not resolve the allegations against him,” Council said.

Italso rejected claims contained in Buhlungu’s resignation correspondence that the independent disciplinary process was designed to produce a predetermined outcome and that he had been subjected to unfair treatment.

“These matters remain contested and should not be understood as having been established as fact,” Council said.

The university said Buhlungu’s resignation and the statements contained in his resignation letter did not determine the merits of the allegations against him.

Council said a similar process had been followed in respect of other employees implicated in breaches of the University Statute, with each affected employee given an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

It also referred to established case law concerning resignations with immediate effect, saying an employee who is contractually required to serve notice cannot unilaterally avoid the applicable notice period where the employer has not waived the requirement.

“The employment relationship therefore continues for the duration of the applicable notice period,” Council said.

The university said it would keep the UFH community informed of material developments as appropriate.

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