Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, has welcomed the handover of the multipurpose combi-court to Promosa Secondary School in Potchefstroom, North West Province earlier this week. The handover ceremony was officiated by Deputy President, Mr Paul Mashatile, as part of the Youth Month activities on 16 June 2025. The promotion of mass participation in sports and provision of sporting facilities to public schools is the core undertaking underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2024. The cooperation between the DBE and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) seek to strengthen co-curricular activities, with specific focus on nurturing talents in arts and various sporting codes.

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton Mckenzie and Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD), Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga, were amongst the dignitaries who accompanied Deputy President Mashatile during his youth empowerment drive. After the handover ceremony, the delegation preceded to the North West University’s Rec Farm Stadium for the main Youth Day commemoration.

Minister Gwarube said that the school community should remember the brave young people of 1976 who stood up for justice, equality and the right to be taught in a language they understood. “Their sacrifice paved the way for our democracy. Today, we honour them not only in word, but indeed by creating learning environments that affirm the dignity, talent and potential of every young South African. The MoU signed between the two departments will revitalize sports in our schools because we believe that a stimulating environment is a non-negotiable quality education. Through our partnership with DSAC, we are working to ensure that school sport becomes a priority and that our teachers are supported, trained and equipped to deliver quality physical education, arts and culture.  We will also encourage the business sector and civil society partners to come on board to support us in this national mission. We must remember, colleagues, sport is not a luxury – it is a developmental imperative. As the Basic Education sector, alongside our colleagues in Sport, Arts and Culture, we recommit ourselves to the goal of delivering safe, enriching, and equitable learning to the learners of Promosa Secondary School; this is your court, use it well. Play hard, compete fairly and respect one another”.

Deputy President Mashatile said that youth unemployment remained a concern to the South African Government. “What is also deeply worrying is the growing number of young people who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training. The current figure stands at about 3.8 million. Amongst 15 to 24-year-olds, 37.1% fall into this category, with young women being slightly more affected than young men. If we look at the wider age group of 15–34 years, the rate is even higher at 45.1%. Even our graduates are struggling, with nearly 1 in 4 graduates (23.9%) struggling to gain employment. It is a moral emergency. It affects our whole society and demands urgent action from all sectors, government, business and communities. We must fix the structural challenges in our economy to address inequality and skills mismatch between education and what the job market needs. We need to encourage young people to look into starting their own businesses instead of waiting for employment; entrepreneurship is one of the keys to building a better future,” assured the Deputy President.