Waterberg youth headed for Peter Mokaba Stadium

Scores of the youth in the Waterberg were expected to take advantage of free transport to attend a Youth Day rally to be addressed by Limpopo Premier, Stan Mathabatha on Saturday 16 June.

The Office of the Premier has unveiled plans to transport youngsters from across Limpopo, with buses made available for all wards.

The day was scheduled to kick off with a “long walk” from SABC Park in Polokwane, to the stadium.

The Premier has been lined up as the keynote speaker, whereby he was expected to shed some light regarding the government’s programmes to arrest rising youth unemployment.

The next day, Sunday 17 June, the provincial government was scheduled to host a youth summit in Thabazimbi, whereby free transport would also be made available for the wards.

As early as Monday 11 June, a Youth Entrepreneurship Programme (YEP), affectionately known as Bizniz in a Box, was launched on the premises of the local Regorogile Mutlipurpose Sports Centre,
hosted by the Thabazimbi Local Municipality.

The Thabazimbi Local Municipality embaked on the programme in partnership with ABI Bottling Company, SIOC Community Development Trust, Godisang Thabazimbi Development Trust and Small
Enterprise Finance Agency.

The programme would, during the course of the week, also be rolled out to Northam, Smashblock, Rooiberg and Raphuti.

The initiative was first piloted in 2015 to make a “meaningful and sustainable” impact on youth unemployment through enterprise development.

Nearer home, former Bela-Bela Mayor Lucas Nhlapo has dedicated his time to tackle head-on the abuse of the nyaope drug embattling the broader Waterberg and beyond.

Incumbent Mayor Jeremiah Ngobeni will engage in several activities throughout the month, in order to commemorate the day and remember the 1976 youth struggles.

These he said would include, among others, workshops on substance abuse, and the launch of the local AIDS Council.

He said this would also include the annual winter enrichment programmes for matriculates scheduled for Forever Resorts shortly.

– The BEAT