IFP Youth leader: "Create employment for youth"

Following last week's local government elections, Youth Brigade leader and member of parliament Mkhuleko Hlengwa is now calling on all municipalities to devise new local economic development plans which are responsive to the needs of young people in particular.

He believes national and provincial plans have failed in this regard, and says the onus is now on local government to identify niche economic opportunities which will be able to absorb the huge number of unemployed youth in this country.

"To assist in that process we need to overhaul the education system so that it actually responds to the needs of the job market.

"We must produce the skills which are needed by the economy because we have jobs which are available now, but the skills are absent so we must be able to do a full scale audit of the jobs available and than go back to the basics so that we develop those skills so that young people can be employed," he said.