What young people expect to hear during SONA

As President Cyril Ramaphosa prepares to address the nation on government’s plans to improve the lives of South Africans and to reflect on the past year, Vuk’uzenzele took to the streets to hear what young South Africans expect him to say:

Karabo Mashego (21)

“I am expecting the President to be clear about how government is going to execute the issue of expropriation of land without compensation because some of us are in the dark about how this is going to be done and where we stand as a nation. I would also like the President to give feedback on the progress that government is making in fighting corruption. Corruption sets us back as a nation.”

Odirile Motubatse (23)

“I am expecting the President to outline government’s plans to allocate more funds towards education because there are a lot of young people who would like to study but cannot afford fees. The President must also give us feedback on what the government is doing to address lack of transparency in the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. I also think that government bursaries should be prioritised for students who come from disadvantaged family backgrounds, but do well academically.”

Malesela Dikhoba (24)

“I look forward to listening to the President share his plans to improve Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. Government must also partner with legal private colleges and subsidise them in order to open up more opportunities for young people. The public TVET colleges are not enough to accommodate the number of youth in our country. A lot more still needs to be done to do away with the stigma that people attach to TVET colleges. Not everyone wants to go to traditional universities but young people get discouraged to enrol at TVET colleges due to the stigma. The President must also talk about plans to support budding entrepreneurs and not only give them a platform to showcase their work.”

Odirile Motubatse