01/09/2026
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
North East District Council held a Youth Engagement Forum for youth representatives from the Siviya Cluster as part of efforts to mobilise young people across the district and establish a platform for communication, information sharing and meaningful youth engagement.
When addressing the youth representatives, Council Chairperson, Hon. Mbaakanyi Smart, emphasised that young people have the potential and capacity to succeed despite the challenges they face when starting and running businesses.He encouraged the youth to organise themselves into groups within their villages, develop viable business ideas, share them with local leadership and seek assistance from relevant authorities. He further urged them to normalise benchmarking with existing successful businesses and organisations as a way of learning, improving their skills and strengthening their enterprises.
Hon. Smart also encouraged young people from different villages to form cooperatives and explore opportunities presented by the district's natural resources. Citing North East District's abundance of rivers, he challenged the youth to identify innovative businesses that can utilise available natural resources.
The Chairperson further encouraged young people to take agriculture and farming seriously, sharing lessons from his benchmarking visit to China, where he observed how agriculture can significantly improve people's livelihoods. He encouraged communities to utilise available land productively through smallholdings and embraced the concept of โOne Village, One Commodityโ as a possible approach to developing village-based economic activities.
On skills development, Hon. Smart urged young people to consider enrolling in brigades and the Ikageng Skills Development component to acquire practical skills, particularly in artisan trades. He noted that the Council provides opportunities for local businesses and skilled individuals through tenders, making skills acquisition an important pathway towards economic participation.
The youth were also given an opportunity to raise concerns, ask questions and make suggestions on how they can be better supported in their entrepreneurial and developmental aspirations.
Hon. Refilwe Dube, Councillor for Masunga-Vukwi Ward, shared his personal experience of starting and running a business, providing practical insights on the realities of entrepreneurship. He noted that district leadership has recognised the need for mentorship among young entrepreneurs, as many young people have the capability and ideas to succeed but often struggle to sustain their businesses. He assured the youth that efforts will be made to establish mentorship support.
In giving the way forward, Youth Commissioner Hon. Montwedi Retlhanye encouraged young people to develop the determination to improve their lives and strive for success. He emphasised that aspiring entrepreneurs must take ownership of their businesses and understand how to manage and operate them effectively. Hon. Retlhanye further announced plans for a youth mentorship platform aimed at supporting young people interested in entrepreneurship and preparing them for the realities of running businesses.
Meanwhile, Council Secretary Mr. Lebuile Israel expressed appreciation for the participation of young people in Village Development Committees (VDCs), noting that their involvement is essential in ensuring that youth perspectives are incorporated into village development.He raised concern over the limited participation of young people in kgotla meetings, where important decisions affecting communities are made. He encouraged the youth to attend kgotla meetings and actively participate in community development processes, noting that when they are absent, their interests may not be adequately represented.
Mr. Israel also stressed the importance of skills acquisition, encouraging young people not to rely solely on academic certificates. He urged them to seek attachments and practical learning opportunities from relevant businesses and organisations to gain hands-on experience.He further encouraged young entrepreneurs to register on the North East District Council database, highlighting this as an important step towards accessing opportunities, including Council tenders.
The forum reaffirmed the Council's commitment to creating platforms where young people can engage with leadership, access information, develop practical skills and contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of the North East District.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐.
