Ring-fence a budget that guarantees at least 1 million opportunities for young people annually

We demand a Ring-fenced budget that a guarantees at least 1 million opportunities for young people annually.

Budget cuts to youth funding deepens the structural unemployment crisis.

In a country where a large share of the population is young, the reduction of public investment shrinks opportunity in the very places where it is needed most.
When youth programmes are reduced, there are fewer skills pathways and fewer opportunities for young people to enter the economy.

IT ALL STARTS WITH
YOUNG PEOPLE

R5.3BN

The amount cut from the Basic Education Employment Initiative budget in a single year, from R5.6 billion to R340 million in 2026.

PAY US IN
dignified work.

The Crisis

South Africa’s youth unemployment rate is among the highest in the world. Per QLFS Q4 2026, youth unemployment among 15–34 year olds sits at 43.8% — and youth employment fell by 113,000 in Q4 2026 alone. 34% of young people aged 15–24 are NEET: not in employment, education, or training.

The Opportunity

Public Employment Programmes exist precisely to meet this need. They are not charity — they are social work for the public good: paying people to do real, necessary work that communities need done.

The Need

The demand is undeniable. In the latest phase of the Basic Education Employment Initiative, 1.9 million young people applied for just over 200,000 opportunities — nine people competing for every single place, with over 1.1 million applications submitted in under 24 hours. Young people are not waiting to be rescued. They are showing up, ready to work. The tools to meet them exist. They just need to be funded.

The Betrayal

Instead of scaling up, government is scaling back. Public Employment Programmes have been chronically underfunded and deprioritised — even as the queue of young people ready to work grows longer. The BEEI budget alone has been cut from R5.6 billion to R340 million in 2026. This is not a resource problem. This is a crippling choice. And we refuse to accept it.

The Ask

We are calling for a multi-year, ring-fenced PEPs budget that guarantees at least 1 million opportunities for young people every year.

Sign the petition
Read our memorandum

PAY US IN
dignified work.

The Crisis

South Africa’s youth unemployment rate is among the highest in the world. Per QLFS Q4 2026, youth unemployment among 15–34 year olds sits at 43.8% — and youth employment fell by 113,000 in Q4 2026 alone. 34% of young people aged 15–24 are NEET: not in employment, education, or training.

The Opportunity

Public Employment Programmes exist precisely to meet this need. They are not charity — they are social work for the public good: paying people to do real, necessary work that communities need done.

The Need

The demand is undeniable. In the latest phase of the Basic Education Employment Initiative, 1.9 million young people applied for just over 200,000 opportunities — nine people competing for every single place, with over 1.1 million applications submitted in under 24 hours. Young people are not waiting to be rescued. They are showing up, ready to work. The tools to meet them exist. They just need to be funded.

“THEY SEE THE QUEUE. THEY JUST WON’T OPEN THE DOOR.”

Government knows the demand is there. Cutting Public Employment Programmes isn’t an oversight, it’s a decision. And decisions can be changed.

Sign the petition
Read our memorandum

The Betrayal

Instead of scaling up, government is scaling back. Public Employment Programmes have been chronically underfunded and deprioritised — even as the queue of young people ready to work grows longer. The BEEI budget alone has been cut from R5.6 billion to R340 million in 2026. This is not a resource problem. This is a crippling choice. And we refuse to accept it.

The Ask

We are calling for a multi-year, ring-fenced PEPs budget that guarantees at least 1 million opportunities for young people every year.

RING-FENCE 1 MILLION JOBS

“THEY SEE THE QUEUE. THEY JUST WON’T OPEN THE DOOR.”

Government knows the demand is there. Cutting Public Employment Programmes isn’t an oversight, it’s a decision. And decisions can be changed.

join by community

Our community is a passionate and powerful force demanding policy solutions for South Africa’s systemic unemployment. Organisations, youth collectives, academics and concerned citizens come together to build pressure and advocate for change.

Join the community

youth capital’s advocacy wins

Member of the Budget Justice Coalition, consistently advocating for National Treasury’s support of social protection measures.
Fund our Futures advocacy campaign secured the funding extension of the Presidential Employment Stimulus until March 2025.
Informed the Western Cape Provincial Government’s Growth for Jobs strategy around the job-seekers support Get YOU to Work initiative.

Got questions? WE’VE GOT ANSWERS

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What exactly does Youth Capital do?
Youth Capital is a campaign advocating for key policy changes to solve youth unemployment, ensuring that youth voices and experiences inform solutions. The Action Plan is a strategy that details 10 critical challenges where young people need support on their journey from education to economic productivity. Key to our work is ensuring that young South Africans shape conversations on the the systemic challenges laid out in the Action Plan and the relevant solutions to those challenges. We identify policy change and collectively drive lobbying activities with the relevant decision-makers.
How can I get involved?
Join our collective advocacy, shape our lobbying activities and help us build pressure with decision makers. Get started with the community here.
Can you help me get a job?
Because we’re a campaign advocating for youth-centred and evidence-based solutions to youth unemployment, we don’t focus on recruitment. However, you can check out SAYouth and Job Jack – these two platforms are light on data and advertise entry-level jobs.
What can we do to help?
Yay for asking! When we come together, we can do a lot to influence decisions that can solve youth unemployment. You can join our community, spread the love on social media and subscribe to our mailers – so that you can stay up to date with campaigns and opportunities to shape our work.
What activities can I engage with once I join the network?
We’re a campaign that leverages evidence and mobilisation to build pressure for policy change. Whether you can share our posts, join the community and shape our campaigns, or run mobilising sessions, we would love to hear from you. Get started with community here.
Is Youth Capital's advocacy working?
  • Consistent advocacy with National Treasury with submissions to Select Committee on Appropriations;
  • Fund Our Futures campaign secured the funding for the Presidential Employment Stimulus for an extra year until March 2025
  • Beyond the Cost research and informed the Western Cape Provincial Government’s Growth for Jobs strategy around the job-seekers support
  • Get YOU to Work initiative
  • Over 40 000 people have joined our community