BAM BI SAN AN I N EW SLETTER Welcome to the second edition of the Bambisanani newsletter! T he recent local elections have put a renewed emphas is on the importance of the work municipalities do and the role they play in facilitating better livelihoods and pros pects for their people. At B ambis anani, we hope that our recommendations will be helpful in getting priorities for local growth and employment right, and that municipal officials will draw on the network of local s takeholders that we are building for ins ight into what local bus ines s es and NG Os need to expand opportunities for young people.
1/4
We’re pleas ed to welcome s takeholders that we have met in T hulamela, Ts hwane, Madibeng, Matjhabeng, and E kurhuleni over the pas t months , and look forward to meeting s takeholders in Mbombela, Tubats e and B us hbuckridge in the next three weeks – thes e are the three remaining areas to introduce our programme. We als o will be holding youth employment works hops exclus ively for 18-24 year olds in C ape Town, B uffalo C ity, P olokwane, eT hekwini and J ohannes burg. T hes e will be unique opportunities to hear from the youth thems elves regarding their experiences of leaving s chool, getting into the labour market, and s taying in their jobs .
Key insights Municipalities are there to facilitate and not to create j obs T here is a general impres s ion among young people and s ome municipalities thems elves that it is their res pons ibility to create jobs rather than to facilitate the creation of jobs . T he private s ector s hould be widely and cons is tently promoted as the engine of job creation – a role it can play bes t as part of a wider network in which the municipality, together with other local players , operates effectively around the coordination and collaboration of initiatives aimed at expanding work opportunities in the area. T his would not only improve the outcome for young people, but als o tackle much of the s ilo-thinking that is obs tructing a more creative and productive us e of local as s ets .
Institutional patchwork of youth responsibilities Municipalities appear to be s truggling with how to incorporate youth is s ues (and particularly the is s ue of youth unemployment) into their organis ational s tructures and day-to-day operations . A number of municipalities have es tablis hed a ‘youth des k’ attached to the Mayor’s office, whereas others locate youth within a ‘s pecial programmes ’ unit, a directorate with other res pons ibilities (e.g., s ports , recreation, arts , and culture), or under a community participation programme. While it s eems s ens ible that each municipality des igns its own ins titutional framework to s upport youth according to its capacities , this patchwork of
youth
res pons ibilities
complicates
communication
acros s
municipalities and the potential to replicate s ucces s ful programmes . Very little is known about what s et-up gives the bes t res ults and more
res earch s hould be done in this area.
Muddled thinking on entrepreneurship and formal j obs T he
is s ue
of
entrepreneurs hip
as
an
exit s trategy
out of
unemployment is often pres ented as mutually exclus ive to formal employment. More attention needs to be paid to the catalytic advantages of formal work experience in creating the s ort of entrepreneurs that are able to grow and expand their bus ines s es at s cale, and hire more people in doing s o. While every young pers on who generates his /her own income s hould be celebrated, a s urvivalis t entrepreneurs hip s trategy is not a s us tainable model for growing the economy and tackling unemployment and poverty. S ucces s ful entrepreneurs grow and expand s martly, and require the capacity to cons tantly innovate. Mentors hip of as piring entrepreneurs is critical on this as pect and organis ed bus ines s has an important role to play in facilitating this .
In the spotlight Bokang Tomose As a child B okang wanted to become a G P, but he ended up becoming a s ucces s ful farmer in Matjhabeng, F ree S tate. While he was reluctant at firs t to go the “non-popular� route of working with his hands rather than climbing the corporate ladder, he s aw an opportunity to s et up a poultry farm. He s tarted on a s hoes tring budget, and through building up good pers onal relations with local clients , gaining s upport from mentors , and cons tantly re-inves ting in his bus ines s , he was able to s lowly grow and expand his enterpris e. B okang demons trates that farming and agri-proces s ing can be wis e career choices in areas with a comparative advantage in agriculture, and dis proves anyone who believes that farming cannot be a lucrative venture for young and as pirant people.
B a mbis a na ni 5 E ton R oa d, P a rktown, J oha nnes burg, 2193, S outh Africa P O B ox 1936, J oha nnes burg 2000 P hone:+27 (0)11 482 5140 | E ma il:evelien@ cde.org.za copyright B a mbis a na ni 2016
B am bisanani is sponsored by :
T he C entre for Development and E nterpris e | T he E uropean Union