YOUTH SUBMISSION TO THE APRM IN SOUTH AFRICA 2020/2021

The document outlines systemic governance failures in South Africa from a youth perspective, highlighting exclusion from political decision-making, extreme economic inequality, and poor infrastructure in education and health. It argues that while progressive policies often exist on paper, implementation is slow and unsystematic, particularly regarding land reform, climate change transition, and youth employment. The submission recommends institutionalising youth quotas, expanding social protection through a basic income grant, and reforming the electoral system to allow independent candidates.

• Young South Africans are consistently excluded from policymaking despite making up over 60% of the population. Barriers include the closed-list proportional representation electoral system, limited funding, and tokenistic engagement by political parties.
• South Africa remains one of the world's most unequal societies, with a fragile middle class and high chronic poverty. The gap is stark: the richest 10% have an average net wealth of ZAR 2.8 million per person, while the poorest 50% average less than ZAR 16,000.
• Youth unemployment is a critical crisis, with those aged 15 to 34 accounting for 63.3% of all unemployed people in the first quarter of 2020. Many graduates are also facing rising unemployment rates.
• The education system suffers from severe infrastructure disparities; only 59% of schools comply with minimum physical infrastructure standards. In Limpopo, 59% of schools still use pit latrines, and some provinces report that over 75% of nine-year-olds cannot read for meaning.
• Land distribution remains heavily skewed by apartheid legacies, with white people still owning approximately 72% of private farms and agricultural holdings, while black South Africans own only 4% of such holdings.
• South Africa's climate policy is characterized by a tension between its status as a heavy emitter (14th largest globally) and its needs as a developing economy. Implementation of the green economy vision is hindered by institutional and financial barriers.
• The healthcare system is divided between a high-cost private sector serving 16% of the population and a public system serving 84% that often falls short in quality. The proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme lacks clarity on financing and implementation.
• Corruption is viewed as a major barrier to national reconciliation, with 84.4% of respondents in a 2019 survey identifying it as such. Hotspots include police services, the schooling sector, and the mining industry.
• Social cohesion is undermined by persistent xenophobia, gender-based violence, and discrimination. Between 1994 and 2018, over 500 xenophobic incidents occurred, resulting in 309 deaths.
• The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) is criticized for being overly partisan, with board appointments often favoring those with ties to the African National Congress (ANC) rather than based on merit.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2021). YOUTH SUBMISSION TO THE APRM IN SOUTH AFRICA 2020/2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SAPS-Report-1.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. YOUTH SUBMISSION TO THE APRM IN SOUTH AFRICA 2020/2021. 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SAPS-Report-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=YOUTH SUBMISSION TO THE APRM IN SOUTH AFRICA 2020/2021 |date=May 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SAPS-Report-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2021youth, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{YOUTH SUBMISSION TO THE APRM IN SOUTH AFRICA 2020/2021}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SAPS-Report-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }