The City of Tshwane has launched a new intervention aimed at empowering young people amid rising youth unemployment in the capital.
Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya unveiled the Ithuba Youth Development Programme on Thursday, calling on the private sector to partner with the municipality in driving economic activity and expanding opportunities for young residents.
The programme is designed to improve young people’s employability and support their participation in the mainstream economy. It will assist youth with practical needs such as obtaining driver’s licences and starting their own businesses, helping to remove common barriers to employment and entrepreneurship.
Youth unemployment “a daily reality”
Moya raised serious concern about the scale of youth unemployment in Tshwane, saying it exceeds the national average.
“Youth unemployment in our city is not an abstract concept, it is a daily reality,” she said.
According to the mayor, more than 60% of young people under the age of 24 in Tshwane are unemployed. In Regions 1 and 2, the figure rises above 70% — significantly higher than the national youth unemployment rate of over 58%.
She emphasised that the statistics represent real lives affected by exclusion from economic opportunity.
“These are not distant statistics. They are young people with qualifications, ideas and ambition, yet without access to opportunity,” Moya said. “This is a generational crisis. It deepens inequality. It fuels frustration. It tests our social cohesion.”
Creating pathways to opportunity
The word “Ithuba” means “opportunity”, a term Moya said carries deep significance in the context of widespread youth joblessness.
Through the Ithuba Youth Development Programme, the city aims to equip young people with the tools, skills and support needed to improve their employment prospects and foster entrepreneurship.
The municipality is urging businesses and private sector stakeholders to collaborate with the city in expanding training, mentorship and economic participation opportunities for Tshwane’s youth.