Midvaal Youth Summit delivers bigger opportunities for youth

As promised, the Youth Summit brought various stakeholders from government departments, private-sector partners, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs), who exhibited their services and provided on-site support to young people at the Midvaal Christian Centre, on 30 November .

From the inception of the Youth Summit, we committed to young people that the programme would not be a talk show but would yield tangible results that would give them opportunities to build a better life and future for themselves.

As a sphere of government that is closest to the people, we understand the immense challenges that face young people, from poverty, unemployment, lack of opportunities, inequality, and other social ills affecting themIt is against this backdrop that we remain intentional in our efforts to mobilise support and partnerships.

We continue to engage stakeholders to bring forward practical and immediate solutions that uplift as many young people as possible.

The following pledges were made by various institutions and organisations towards youth upliftment:

Afriguard pledged to provide 70 learnerships exclusively for Midvaal residents.

YAB Skills pledged to train ten Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in the New Venture Creation Skills Programme, accredited by the Services SETA, through the Midvaal Skills Development Centre from February 2026.

Human Capital Learning Solutions pledged to develop 50 unemployed youth on the following Cisco programs: Digital awareness, Cyber Security, Internet of Things (IoT) and Basic Programming.

Meyerton Engineering (Pty) Ltd pledged learnerships and apprenticeships in partnership with the Midvaal Local Municipality. The company also pledged to establish a Midvaal Scholarship Fund in 2026 and pledged to explore the facilitation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) development initiatives for youth in collaboration with MLM.

Nedbank pledged R50 000 towards the Mayoral Bursary Fund. The bank further pledged to provide a Financial Wellness Programme valued at R180 000 in Consumer Financial Education, Financial Fitness Education, and Business Literacy. It pledged a one-week SME training programme valued at R150 000 and to enrol three Midvaal youth in the YES Programme, where they have a total investment of R191 712 (inclusive of 12-month stipends and once-off M&E placement fees for the three YES participants). Nedbank also pledged to expand the SimplyBiz Programme, aimed at driving SMME growth through practical and proven support.

TLP App pledged to provide 50 business registrations for free.

Midvaal Local Municipality stated that the municipality will once again allocate R750 000 in the 2025 academic year to support students who are pursuing higher education, sponsoring tuition, registration, books, or laptops.

Image: Midvaal Local Municipality