The face of the future

Asanda Luwaca is the first woman to sit at the head of the table at the National Youth Development Agency.

What did you study?

I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Johannesburg — a BA in politics — and then an honours in politics through Unisa. In between, I did a few short courses through other universities such as the University of Cape Town and the University of Stellenbosch.

What challenges did you face after graduating?

 Like many other young people, finding a job was not as easy for me as you’d think. I graduated in record time and ended up au pairing for an amazing family [Basetsana Kumalo]. I have done pretty much everything — I also did modelling, promotional jobs, waitressing, I worked at a library, and I did everything I could to sustain myself while trying to find employment in line with what I studied.

In 2015, I started my formal employment as an intern in the communications department at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, and then I became a research assistant before moving to parliament, where I was a researcher as well.

 How do you end up at the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA)?

 I was involved in a lot of programmes in my community in Ekurhuleni, and we would meet with the NYDA to get assistance, whether financial or non-financial. I applied in the first round, which was in 2019, and was not shortlisted. When the second round opened up I applied again because I wanted to be part of the machinery of youth development. I wanted to see myself in the space to see what impact I could make.

What have you been doing since assuming office as the NYDA executive chair in December/January?

When we started we, as the board, wanted to craft a vision that would see us through our tenure and to have programmes to see us through this vision.

Through community development we have engaged people in a manner that is constructive and productive. We’ve had various engagements, going to the different provinces to hear the voices of young people.

We want impact-driven programmes that are tailor-made, because youth-development issues are complex in nature. So a programme that might be successful in an urban area such as Gauteng might not be successful in a rural area in Limpopo or the Eastern Cape. We are trying to get to a point where we can craft programmes for various areas.

What are the main challenges affecting the youth?

First, the youth’s low labour participation — young people are not entering the workforce as much as we’d like. There is also low activity among young people in entrepreneurship. Together, this causes high levels of unemployment, poverty, and inequality. We need to create an environment where young people have access to work opportunities.

What inspires you?

My little one, my son. I do not want a situation where in the future I’m asked by my son what I did when I had this platform and these responsibilities. Did I let the status quo remain? Did I have a meaningful impact? We are working on borrowed time and the people who will inherit this world are our kids.

You're the first female chair at the NYDA — what does it mean to you and for women?

I think for me it’s a double-edged sword, because it’s such a disservice to women in this country. We are 28 years into this democracy and it took 28 years for this to happen. For us to still be saying the first female president or CEO [could be construed as] an indictment of the women who fought sexism and patriarchy. But, on the flip side, it also shows that the [current] president takes women leadership seriously. Our tools of analysis in identifying who is suitable to lead are very masculine, so if an Asanda comes and is soft spoken or not loud and charismatic it disqualifies her. We need to get to a point where we understand that leadership comes in many forms. You can have someone who is feminine, you can have a young female who is given this responsibility, so a conversation needs to be had and we need to shift our thinking.

 What do you hope for yourself in the future?

 To learn as much as I can during my term and understand that I am human and I will make mistakes, and also understanding that all of this is [preparing me] for life ahead and a greater picture. To continue serving where I am called to serve.