Youth group meets with University of Mpumalanga, employment of young people discussed
Tlangelani Ubisi, the university’s spokeperson, said it would review the youth group's requests and remain in contact with them.
The Mbombela Concerned Youth Group (MCYG) had a meeting with the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) on Tuesday, March 4, after they made allegations that the tertiary institution has failed to employ young people and offer them business opportunities.
On February 4, they protested and delivered a memorandum of demands at the UMP’s main entrance, as a way to express their grievances.
The youth group claimed the university’s business and employment recruitment policies favour those who reside outside the City of Mbombela (CoM).
There was a way forward between the UMP and the MCYG, after the youth had submitted the memorandum.
They requested the university rotates the companies in business with it, that a space is created for local vendors, and to receive a report of all the companies that had been given subcontracting work by construction companies at the university in the past two years.
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The MCYG also requested that 50% of the UMP’s employees be local people, that budget be spent with local service providers, and that 100% of the general workers at the institution be local.
The MCYG’s spokesperson, Zanele Mabuza, said they are pleased with the outcome of this meeting.
“We have an open line of engagement with the university, which is something we are grateful for. The conversations have begun and we are now waiting for the UMP to have a discussion and review our requests to be able to reach a position where we are assisted and included as the youth of Mbombela,” she said.
The university’s spokesperson, Tlangelani Ubisi, said they had a positive engagement with the MCYG.
“We are glad that we took this route. We appreciate that when we responded to their initial memorandum, there was a feeling that we were not understanding one another, but we can safely confirm that today [March 4] we have begun to do so,” Ubisi added.
On Thursday, March 6, the MCYG visited the UMP’s Centre of Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator, where the university offers young and upcoming entrepreneurs from Mbombela and the surrounding areas mentorship and support.
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The engagement between the university and MCYG has yet to continue as more actions need to be taken. The university will be in contact with MCYG by no later than Friday, March 7.
The issue has brought up a lot of questions about the role of the institution in promoting local economy and youth development.
According to the MCYG’s representatives, the movement is not led by any political intentions, but rather united to stand against poverty in the CoM. The young people have set aside their different political perspectives to address the issues of unemployment.
