The Democratic Alliance (DA) will be writing to the Chairperson of the Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Portfolio Committee to request that the NYDA be called to appear before Parliament.
This follows reports by the TimesLIVE that the NYDA is looking to bring in forensic investigators to try and find out which staff members may have been sharing internal information with the media. People inside the organisation say this has raised concern, with fears that it could lead to an internal purge and that staff communications, including emails and phone records, may come under close scrutiny.
They must account for reports that public funds may be used to appoint forensic investigators. The purpose appears to be to track whistleblowers within the organisation.
This raises serious concern.
South Africa’s young people face an unemployment emergency, with recent statistics indicating that the jobless rate surged to 32.7%.
The NYDA must focus on addressing challenges faced by our nation’s youth – not hunting whistleblowers.
The focus should not be on who spoke to the media. It should be on what was revealed.
And there are already serious questions that deserve answers, including luxury spending on international travel, expensive office accommodation, and broader governance failures.
These issues are in the public domain for a reason.
Public institutions must remain open, accountable, and transparent, especially when scrutiny increases.
The NYDA must focus on what it was created for – helping young people; creating opportunity; delivering real impact – not hunting whistleblowers and silencing difficult questions.