Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Kristal Duncan-Williams

Creator

Kristal Duncan-Williams

Kristal Duncan-Williams is the project lead at Youth Capital

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Bulungula shows how social connectedness can improve economic opportunities for young people

We must help young South Africans to build productive livelihoods by fostering economic connectedness — described as cross-class social connections

  • Sigrid Kite
  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
  • Clotilde Angelucci
5 min read
Where we work shapes how we think. It influences our interactions, our focus, our willingness to speak up — even our mood. (Photo by Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images)
ECONOMY

How to bring young people into the South African economy

From our daily engagements with young people at Youth Capital and the Centre for Social Development in Africa, we know that most are proactive, energetic and resilient. Young…

  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
  • Clotilde Angelucci
  • Senzelwe Mthembu
6 min read
Harsh conditions: Unemployed men play a game of cards while waiting for temporary work. South Africa’s unemployment rate has yet again hit a record high, climbing to 34.4% of the labour force in the second quarter of 2021. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Youth unemployment is a wicked problem requiring holistic solutions

Covid-19 has worsened unemployment among young adults. Fixing this endemic problem won’t be easy, but a ‘systems thinking’ lens points to the best places to start

  • Luvuyo Maseko
  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
5 min read
Development statistics tell us what has happened. They show us how many children have dropped out of school, how many young people are unemployed and how many households remain trapped in poverty. (Oupa Nkosi)
BASIC EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE

Tackling youth unemployment requires sustained and coordinated action

Youth unemployment is not often discussed in all its complexities. Like a game of snakes and ladders, this crisis is the result of compounding roadblocks and U-turns that young…

  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
  • Clotilde Angelucci
  • Mario Meyer
  • Lethiwe Sinodumo Nkosi
5 min read
(John McCann/M&G)
BASIC EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE

Four lessons from youth work initiative

There is a terrific opportunity to leverage interventions such as public works programmes in a cohesive youth employment strategy

  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
  • Beverly Da Costa
  • Erica Kempken
4 min read
BASIC EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE

Young South Africans must co-drive unemployment solutions

Young people’s experiences should lead the way in a shared response to youth unemployment

  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
3 min read
DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION

New education certificate could help limit school dropouts

To be effective, the General Education Certificate must plug gaps, not create new ones

  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
  • Rahima Essop
  • Merle Mansfield
6 min read
Remote work schedules, YouTube tutorials and livestreaming have turned lockdown into “business as usual” for the more fortunate among us. For most young South Africans, however, the shutdown of schools, universities and businesses has put the brakes on their ability to grow and learn — at a time when they could and should be growing and learning as much as they can. Lindokuhle, a 21-year-old from Langa who is part of the Youth Capital network says: “Connectivity is a problem. Like most young people, I rely on internet cafes, as they have standard prices, to do my CV, apply for jobs and do my school work. Covid-19 has dramatically decreased our productivity and is threatening our possible livelihood.” After an inquiry launched in 2017 — based on complaints from the public about the high cost of data — in December 2019 the Competition Commission confirmed that the country’s data prices were too high, especially for mobile prepaid data, and recommended that mobile networks reduce the price of bundles below one gigabyte. The commission also recommended that networks agree on an industry-wide approach to zero-rating public benefit and educational institution websites. Just days after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in South Africa, Vodacom announced it was cutting the price of its 1GB bundle by 34%; MTN followed suit, announcing a reduction in the price of its monthly 1GB bundles and below by between 25% and 50%. And the day before national lockdown was put into place, the government publicised Telkom’s decision to make government and education sites access-free on their network. Vodacom and MTN have also since zero-rated many learning sites, with Vodacom offering a zero-rated e-school portal with content for grades R to 12. In addition to Free Basics, CellC also announced a lifeline package for prepaid customers and access to zero-rated content on selected public-benefit and government websites. Although these price revisions and the zero-rating of educational content are a step in the right direction, we still have a long way to go if we want to ensure more equitable access to relevant content that could help those who need it most, now and post Covid-19. Telkom, Vodacom and MTN have each established their own zero-rated portals, with free access to network-curated content on education, jobs, health, news and government websites ­— CellC is adding content to its existing platform, including government sites. This content is limited and accessible for free if you belong to their network. Upskilling content for out-of-school youth is not prioritised in any of the zero-rated platforms. And this is cause for serious concern. “We have seen a drastic reduction in the jobs available for the youth; young people should use this time to focus on learning a new skill and develop soft skills to increase the chance of finding employment post social distancing,” says Jaryd Raizon, CEO of graduate recruitment platform Trusted Interns. Twenty-eight-year-old Tumi from Johannesburg echoes Jaryd’s views: “As young people, we need to prepare ourselves for the loss of jobs and economic impact of Covid-19. Upskilling now could ensure you stand out from the crowd when things return to normal, but with the current data costs and lack of internet infrastructure in poor areas, that’s just not the case.” With 56% of South Africans living on less than R41 a day, data doesn’t fall into the core basket of affordable essentials for the majority of households. Even with price reductions, data prices remain high for the average South African. Moreover, the process so far has focused on negotiations with individual mobile network operators, and not a co-ordinated, industry-wide approach towards securing universal access to information and services to all South Africans, regardless of the colour of their SIM cards. Lindokuhle comments that not everyone can afford a gig of data because they have other needs. In South Africa, looking for work is unaffordable for most young job-seekers, who spend an average of R550 a month job hunting, with data being one of the biggest contributors to this hefty sum. Many young people in the Youth Capital network admit they can look for work only when they have the money to do so. And with eight million young people (aged 15 to 35) unemployed and not in education, employment or training (NEET), we simply cannot afford for our young people not to have the means to look for work. Recognising that price reduction on its own will not have a sufficient effect, the Competition Commission urged network operators to deliver a lifeline package of daily free data to all users to allow uninterrupted data access, regardless of income levels, while leveraging the increasing smartphone penetration. But the response received so far will not assist young people use this time productively. A unified approach to zero-rating has the potential to unlock access to digital opportunities and information. A much-needed solution is freeing up all the education and upskilling content produced by public benefit organisations rather than a selection of content that is network-specific. This requires alignment and co-operation between the government and network operators, as a true example of social compacts in response to sudden changes in our society. If the Covid-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it’s the power of technology to connect, educate and empower — but in South Africa, your access to digital resources still depends on which cell phone service provider you’re linked to and how much data you can afford. Let’s take the lesson and push for universal access, including for a generation of young people who are stuck at home and hungry to learn.
CELLC

South Africa’s digital divide detrimental to the youth

Without the means to leverage lockdown as a time to grow, Covid-19 reinforces how access to data remains a barrier to young people’s progress

  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
5 min read
Across the country, young people tell us daily about the barriers they face when looking for work.
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

Young people must help design a youth employment plan

A six-point plan will help to drive the president’s youth employment intervention but it is essential that the experiences of young people are prioritised in its design and…

  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
8 min read