NYDA: Nine-day conference will cost R29 million, and legitimise radical causes

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has learnt with astonishment that the Presidency has granted an additional R29 million in the appropriations adjustments to the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) for the hosting of the nine-day ‘World Festival of Youth and Students' event.

This is a conference that has repeatedly been held in radical, oppressive states - in recent years, host cities have included Pyongyang, North Korea; Havana, Cuba; and Caracas, Venezuela. Member parties who make up this organisation include the ZANU-PF Youth League from Zimbabwe, and the youth league of the Workers Party of North Korea.

The theme of this year's conference is "Let's defeat imperialism", and topics for seminars include "The builders of the anti-imperialist media are fighters against lies and manipulation!" and "Solidarity with [North] Korea".

This year's event will apparently host 60,000 delegates - twice as many as it has ever accommodated before at this conference

The National Youth Development Agency is a public entity, mandated to act in an impartial manner, to advance the interests of all of South Africa's youth. Instead, it is now going to be spending nearly R30 million on a conference being hosted by a radical global youth organisation, of which the ANC Youth League are members.

According to the event's programme, President Zuma will be attending activities on its fourth day.

That the state, the Presidency, and President Zuma himself, should be legitimising an event of this nature, and ploughing state resources into it, beggars belief and constitutes electioneering at the state's expense.

The National Youth Development Agency should be spending every cent available to it to promote opportunities for all South Africans, and not on lavish banquets and radical gatherings that in no way advance the cause of the nation's youth. The Agency's continued existence has resulted in a significant opportunity cost for the three million unemployed young South Africans. The NYDA's R400 million annual budget could be used to fund initiatives that promise to make a much greater impact on youth development, such as implementing the wage subsidy proposal or instituting a zero-rating of VAT on books

The NYDA, however, has become terminally compromised. President Zuma should disband this R400-million entity, whose only purpose seems to be to placate the ruling party's Youth League.

Statement issued by Athol Trollip, MP, Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader, November 18 2010

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