• KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli urged young people to use provincial government bursaries and youth funding to continue studying and improve their future.
• The provincial government has set aside R100-million to support youth entrepreneurship as part of efforts to grow the economy and create opportunities.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli is calling on young people to value education and take advantage of government support programmes.
Ntuli said the provincial government wants the youth to learn from elders and use opportunities that can help them build better lives.
He urged young people to apply for government bursaries and make use of the Youth Empowerment Fund.
Ntuli said education remains one of the most important tools to fight poverty and unemployment.
He said the provincial government encourages young people to study subjects that help solve the problems they face in their communities and at home.
“This is why it established the provincial bursary programme that we have in government departments to assist those who want to continue studying beyond National Student Financial Aid Scheme,” said Ntuli.
The premier said the province has also made progress in growing its economy.
According to Ntuli, KwaZulu-Natal’s economy grew by 1.8% in 2025.
He said this growth created about 54,000 new opportunities.
Ntuli said the growth shows that the province is moving in the right direction.
For him, the progress signals hope and helps attract investors.
He said more than R180-billion has been invested in KwaZulu-Natal over the past two years.
Despite this progress, Ntuli admitted that many educated people are still struggling to find jobs.
He said some graduates are sitting at home without work.
Because of this challenge, the government is also encouraging young people to consider starting their own businesses.
The provincial government has set aside R100-million to support youth entrepreneurship.
There is also a separate programme aimed at supporting women.
Ntuli said the goal of these programmes is to restore hope and make sure young people can take part in the province’s economy.
Pictured above: KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli
Image source: Supplied
