READER LETTER | Our youth is under siege

What does the future hold for our youth? Are we doing enough to prepare them for tomorrow? Are we creating a conducive environment for them to thrive? Or are we eating from their future?

There are no easy answers. The truth is that our youth is under siege. They are unemployed, depressed and hopeless. In addition, most of them lack skills relevant for the job market.

In fact, the majority do not have skills. The academically gifted are financially excluded from studying in universities because fees are expensive. The higher learning institutions also have limited space to accommodate all those who want study for degrees.

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is there to help fund studies for capable students who come from poor backgrounds. However, NSFAS has become a milking cow for certain individuals, resulting in deserving students not getting the necessary funding for their studies.

Those who have the entrepreneurial spirit do not have money to fund their business ideas. Banks cannot give them loans because they do not have credit records, let alone bank accounts.

Consequently, the youth ends up being involved in crime. This is partly due to social erosion and staying at home doing nothing. The end result is jail. Others get rehabilitated but join the long queue of the unemployed.

One other thing that is killing our youth is drugs. In the black townships,nyaope, which is cheap, is dealing a blow on our youth. They talk in slow motion and walk like robots.

Our police seem to be losing the fight against these destructive substances. Who is to blame for the above? All of us, including our government. In essence, we are failing our kids. But we can still redeem ourselves by doing something to avert the worst.

Thabile Mange