Report of the Civil Society APRM Youth Submission Validation Workshop

This report documents a validation workshop held on 24 February 2021 by the South African Institute of International Affairs and Jasoro Consulting. The event served as a platform for youth working groups to present and validate a youth-centred report on nine key governance issues in South Africa, intended to inform the country's Second-Generation Country Review process under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

• The Institutional Planning working group identified that while the South African government has developed necessary institutional plans, the primary failure lies in implementation. They called for improved monitoring, evaluation, consequence management, and a dedicated budget for the APRM process. Additionally, they noted that political deployment in institutional representation leads to inadequate capacity and biased mandates, and highlighted the need to address the emigration of highly skilled young South Africans.
• Analysis of political participation revealed a gap between the youth population (60% of South Africa's population, defined as ages 16 to 35) and their actual representation in political and electoral processes. Youth account for only 10% of membership within political parties. The working group attributed this to tokenism and 'pseudo solutions' from parliament, recommending the implementation of quotas for gender and youth representation.
• The Health and Social Services working group highlighted the continued economic exclusion of the black populace as a barrier to quality healthcare. They also warned that digitalisation and the COVID-19 pandemic would adversely affect disadvantaged groups' access to social protection and grant payments. Recommendations included short-term increases in social grants and long-term strategies for income flexibility and economic mobility.
• Regarding land and housing, the report states that current land issues stem from pre-1994 policies designed to stifle the black majority. The working group emphasized the need for more responsive policies to address the unequal impact of poor land reform implementation on women and called for an increased land reform budget to meet National Development Plan (NDP) goals. For housing, they urged the integration of informal settlements into the national service grid.
• The Economic Empowerment working group argued that youth are treated as passive consumers rather than stakeholders. They stated that existing initiatives, such as the Youth Environmental Service project, have failed to produce tangible change. They recommended that young people be made main stakeholders in economic policy-making discussions.
• Social cohesion is hindered by several factors: a lack of regulation in the religious sector leading to fraud; xenophobic attitudes resulting from misapprehensions about migration politics; and disparities between the constitutional rights and lived experiences of LGBTQ+ members. The working group called for accountability for those promoting divisions and a development agenda centered on equity.
• Education is plagued by systematic coordination challenges and severe underfunding of early childhood education, which receives only 1% to 2% of the educational budget. Infrastructural deficits are significant, with only 59% of schools meeting minimum standards and 7,520 schools relying on boreholes for water. The COVID-19 pandemic further widened the digital divide in learning.
• The Peace and Security and Climate Change working groups identified critical vulnerabilities. Peace and security concerns include gender-based violence (GBV), corruption, and ineffective detention centres for migrants. Climate change was identified as a cross-cutting issue that exacerbates problems in housing, health, and economic development. Recommendations include increased data collection for GBV, dismantling detention centres, and integrating climate change into the national curriculum.

APA

Simelane, N. (2021). Report of the Civil Society APRM Youth Submission Validation Workshop. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAPS-Report_24Feb2021.pdf

Chicago

Simelane, Nkanyiso. Report of the Civil Society APRM Youth Submission Validation Workshop. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAPS-Report_24Feb2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Simelane |first1=Nkanyiso |title=Report of the Civil Society APRM Youth Submission Validation Workshop |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=24 February 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAPS-Report_24Feb2021.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{simelane2021report, author = {Simelane, Nkanyiso}, title = {{Report of the Civil Society APRM Youth Submission Validation Workshop}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAPS-Report_24Feb2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }