“Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth”. Kofi Annan
Chairperson, For 2026/27, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities receives an overall budget allocation of R2 243.1 billion, of which
R1 843.8 billion will be transferred to the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and R111.3 million to the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE). This will leave the Department with approximately R288 million for its own operations for 2026/27. This is approximately R48 million (or 20%) more than in 2025/26 when the Department had an operational budget of R239.8 million.
Honourable Chairperson,
The allocation of R 288 million to the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities must be viewed against the vast mandate it carries. The department is expected to advance the rights and empowerment of women, youth, persons with disabilities, and the LGBTQIA+ community, while coordinating government-wide efforts to achieve equality and inclusion.
While we acknowledge fiscal constraints, this budget raises concerns about whether the department is adequately resourced to address pressing challenges such as Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, youth unemployment, discrimination, and social exclusion.
We must strengthen protections for the LGBTQIA+ community by combating hate crimes, ensuring equal access to healthcare, education, employment, and public services, and promoting awareness to eliminate discrimination and prejudice.
Most importantly, equality and inclusion cannot be the responsibility of one department alone. Every government department must be held accountable for advancing the rights and dignity of all South Africans.
Honourable members,
The Presidential Youth Employment Initiative has delivered meaningful results by creating over 1.5 million earning opportunities since 2020 and providing much-needed work experience to young people. However, while the initiative has offered hope and relief to many, it cannot be viewed as a complete success when youth unemployment remains alarmingly high. The challenge before us is to move beyond temporary opportunities and create sustainable, long-term jobs that restore dignity and economic freedom to our youth.
• Youth unemployment remains extremely high, at around 45% nationally,
• Many opportunities are temporary rather than permanent jobs.
Hon. president let me paint a picture of what young unemployed people go through on the ground
Vusimuzi (not his real name) lives with his brother who us the only person with an income, he is only allowed to have one meal per day because he is accused of wasting food when he eats more than once, all this happens because every month when he gets his R 350 he has to make difficult choice between buying food, cosmetics, or save it to use for public transport as he keeps searching for unemployment.
We also need to establish a robust monitoring and evaluation tool to determine whether every rand allocated to the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative is achieving its intended objectives. Without proper oversight and measurable outcomes, simply throwing money at the problem will not reduce the rate of youth unemployment.
We must be able to track how funds are spent, how many sustainable jobs are created, and what impact these interventions have on the lives of young people. Without accountability, we risk creating opportunities for corruption, where funds disappear while the unemployment crisis persists.
As unemployment continues to rise, many young people lose hope and become vulnerable to social ills such as substance abuse, crime, and poverty. We therefore have a responsibility to ensure that every investment made in youth employment delivers real results and creates pathways to sustainable economic participation.
Girl learners can lose up to seven days of schooling every month due to a lack of access to sanitary products. This is why Parliament introduced the Sanitary Dignity Programme for learners in Quintile 1–3 schools.
However, a recent report from the Department of Social Development revealed that in Lekwa, only 6 out of 20 schools are receiving sanitary towels. This raises serious concerns about whether funds allocated for this programme are reaching their intended beneficiaries.
It is for this reason that we have written to National Treasury, requesting that funds allocated for sanitary dignity packs be ring-fenced to ensure they are used solely for their intended purpose.
No girl child should be forced to miss school because she cannot afford sanitary products. Access to these products is a matter of dignity, equality, and educational opportunity.
In conclusion chair,
We concluded the interviews and submitted the proposed names of individuals to serve on the NCGBVF in March, to date those appointments have not been made, we urge the president to appoint the board members urgently so it can start its work to assist us deal with the scourge of GBV.