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Mbalula calls for income grant for youth without matric

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula spoke in uMshwathi, KwaZulu-Natal, ahead of the 4 November local government elections. He also asked municipalities to prioritise unemployed people for opportunities, and said government is working on training for young people.

Mbalula spoke to community members at Emamnedwini Hall. He said young people without matric should get a stipend through a basic income grant. In his words: "They mustn’t stay there without hope because they don’t have matric."

Mbalula said some employment initiatives are already under way. He said these should not be presented as promises for the future.

Unemployment among people aged 15 to 34 was 47.4% in the second quarter of 2026, up 1.5 percentage points. The number of unemployed young people rose by 264,000 to 5-million.

The mid-term budget did not settle the future of a permanent basic income scheme. National Treasury confirmed the R370 social relief of distress grant will run until March 2028. Treasury said a High Court ruling, if upheld, could widen eligibility and raise the annual cost to between R36bn and R74bn.

Key facts

Who
Fikile Mbalula (ANC secretary-general); Enoch Godongwana (finance minister); National Treasury (government department that confirmed the SRD grant extension)
What
Mbalula urged that youth without matric receive a basic income grant stipend and urged municipalities to prioritise unemployed people for opportunities. Separately, Treasury confirmed the R370 SRD grant would be extended to March 2028 without establishing a permanent basic income grant, as tabled in the 2026 MTBPS by finance minister Enoch Godongwana.
When
25 October 2026
Where
uMshwathi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Status
Reported

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