The Mpumalanga Youth Commission (MYC)is a statutory youth development body whoseprincipal aim is to lobby and advocate forthe integration of youth development across the public and private sector domains.
The MYC was, until July 2006, located and operating as a unit within the Offi ce of the Premier. However, this arrangement was not in line with the provisions of the MYC ActNo 5 of 1996, as amended in June 2003.In his address during the 2005 opening of the provincial legislature, Premier Thabang Makwetla announced that the MYC would be delinked from the Offi ce of the Premier in order to assume public entity status. The premier’s announcement was welcomed as a move that places the MYC in a position of suffi cient authority and enables it to access more resources to best carry out its mandate.
Mandate:
- The Mpumalanga Youth Commission Act No 5 of 1996, amended in 2003 mandates the MYC to:
- Coordinate and develop an integrated youth policy
- Develop an integrated youth development plan that utilises available resources and expertise for the development of young men and women, which shall be integrated with the reconstruction and development programme
- Develop principles and guidelines and make recommendations to the provincial government regarding such principles and guidelines for the implementation of the National Youth Policy
- Coordinate, direct and monitor the implementation of such principles and guidelines
- Implement measures to redress the imbalances of the past relating to various forms of disadvantage suffered by young men and women generally or by specific groups or categories of young people
- Promote uniformity of approach by all organs of state to matters relating to young men and women
- Maintain close liaison with institutions, bodies or authorities similar to the MYC in order to foster common policies and practices and promote cooperation
- Coordinate the activities of the provincial government institutions involved in youth matters and to link those activities to the integrated National Youth Policy
- Implement strategic pilot projects and hand over such projects to relevant line departments
- Develop recommendations related to any other matter, which may affect young men and women