We must empower our youth if they are to lead in future

Since the dawn of South Africa’s democracy in 1994, the Spirit Foundation has funded and supported scholar education. While quality education is fundamental to a successful youth, our education programmes range far beyond the classroom and seek to help produce happy, rounded and productive young citizens who will re-invest in our country. Yet the challenges facing our youth are structural, deep-seated, and intergenerational.   

The primary problems confronting South African youth include a catastrophic unemployment crisis, deep-seated educational inequalities, rising mental health challenges, and widespread safety concerns. Despite these immense socioeconomic hardships, young people maintain hope for the future through grassroots entrepreneurship, active political and civic engagement, and a strong culture of community solidarity.

We have an unemployment emergency. Over half of the population aged 15–34 is jobless, with the youngest cohort (15–24) experiencing staggering unemployment rates above 43%. This includes nearly 3.8 million youth classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and roughly one in four university graduates who cannot find work.

We suffer from enormous educational deficits and inequality. Massive resource disparities persist between wealthy urban schools and underfunded rural or township schools. A profound skills mismatch leaves millions of young people without the technical, digital, or career planning literacy demanded by the modern job market.

Often unspoken, or unrecognised we have a severe mental health crisis among our youth. Driven by the stress of job hunting, the high cost of living, and systemic poverty, approximately 1 in 7 South African youths battle a mental health issue, with 25% experiencing clinical depression.

Young people in townships and marginalised communities navigate high rates of violent crime, gender-based violence (GBV), substance abuse and a lack of entry-level socioeconomic safety nets. Where a young person is born continues to dictate their life path. Spatial injustice leaves rural and township youth cut off from reliable public transport, career networks, and digital infrastructure.

Yet there are real signs of hope and encouragement. Frustrated by a stagnant job market, youth are shifting from job seekers to job creators. They leverage state and private resources, such as the National Youth Development Agency, to launch small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Rather than waiting for top-down changes, youth demand to be treated as active co-creators of policy. The expansion of youth representation in Parliament and calls to dismantle outdated political gatekeeping show a generation eager to rewrite the country’s economic agenda.

Collaborative initiatives between the public and private sectors such as the Presidential Employment Stimulus and specialised IT learnerships, are building bridges over the digital divide, equipping the youth for global tech and financial markets.

Ground level youth-led campaigns, social activism and community-building programmes such as those of the Spirit Foundation show that young South Africans are embracing the country’s diversity to break cycles of despair and build a unified self-reliant future.

The Spirit Foundation is proud to have supported thousands of young learners for more than a generation to make South Africa a better country. In this Youth Month, we commit to continue to Just Do Good!