NYDA chairperson Dr Sunshine Myende and the board appeared before Scopa and Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth & Persons with Disabilities last week. The writer argues that the NYDA’s mandate is too important to be weakened by governance uncertainty.
Nqobani Mzizi
The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) exists to address challenges faced by young people and to support youth development across national, provincial and local government levels. Its purpose sits close to the lived frustrations of young people who are searching for a credible pathway into economic participation.
When an agency created for youth development becomes the subject of parliamentary concern over governance, accountability, financial management, board stability and operational effectiveness, the issue must be taken seriously. Its challenges affect the trust of young people who already live with the daily burden of exclusion.
The point is not to prejudge allegations. Public institutions must be afforded fair process, and those implicated in allegations must be given an opportunity to respond. Governance does not require trial by headline. It requires facts, process, accountability and consequence. Yet the existence of serious concerns, whistleblower reports, audit-related matters and parliamentary scrutiny is itself a governance warning. Institutions entrusted with public purpose must never wait for final collapse before asking whether the systems of oversight are working.
