Deputy President David Mabuza leads youth into economic opportunities in Ermelo
The three kilometre walk to AJ Swanepoel Stadium was part of Youth Month celebrations as well as to encourage the youth to forge themselves careers in the public and private sectors.
The Deputy President of South Africa, Mr David Mabuza, the Premier of Mpumalanga, Ms Refilwe Mtshweni, and various deputy ministers and MECs, including the Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Ms Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, led the youth of Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) in a 3km walk into economic opportunities from the GSDM to AJ Swanepoel Stadium on Saturday, 22 June.
The event, hosted by the Department of Communications, was to encourage the youth to forge careers for themselves in the public and private sectors.
It also informed the youth of the benefits of digital migration and how this process will promote the socio-economic development of the country.
Ermelo town was a buzz leading up to the event, with government stakeholders throwing their weight behind the prestigious event.
WiFi connection at the Tembisa Complex in Wesselton on 21 June was a build-up to the outreach programme where Sentech, the signal distributor for the South African broadcasting sector, connected free WiFi within the vicinity of the complex for the youth to use.
Crowds gathered at the GSDM offices on Saturday morning, 22 June to walk with Mr Mabuza while the South African Police Service brass band led from the front.
Various government entities were out in full force at the stadium, providing information on the services they offer to the youth and community.
Youth from as far as Dipaliseng Local Municipality enjoyed what was on offer and visited various stalls scattered around the stadium.
The stalls ranged from the SAPS stand, the Department of Social Development, Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and many more.
The executive mayor of GSDM, Mr Muzi Chirwa, opened the proceedings with the deputy ministers, MECs and Mr Mabuza set to deliver addresses as well as interacting with the crowd.
Mr Mabuza said it was important for young people to have access to all the information they needed to get the skills they required to become entrepreneurs.
“Young people should take advantage of public entities that will propel them into a better economic future. Use this occasion as an introduction to innovation for addressing the issues that your generation is facing,” Mr Mabuza said.
He added government and social partners could only encourage young people, but the decision to change their lives lie with every individual.
The event was also part of Youth Month celebrations that took place in June.
The day concluded with Mr Mabuza visiting the stalls and interacting with the youth and officials around the stadium.
