MANGAUNG, All sectors of the society must join hands to mobilise necessary resources to accelerate development which will divert young people from committing crime, says South African Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha.

Any society ignoring its youth and children, does so at its own peril, and the South African government is committed to centralise young people in all facets of development, Masutha said when addressing some 2,000 young people in Mangaung in Free Stat Province who attended the country’s 2nd Correctional Youth Summit.on on Saturday.

This is because the ideals outlined in the National Development Plan can only be realised when significant investment is made collectively to break the vicious circle of poverty and under-development, primarily targeting young people on whose shoulders lies South Africa’s future, the minister said.

“Young people are at the heart of the National Development Plan, the collective blueprint for a society where all South Africans will flourish.” Masutha added.

The Youth Summit is a government initiative aimed at exploring ways of keeping young people away from crime by inviting them to participate in various skills development programmes of correctional services.

The minister said the summit is not only convened to talk about challenges facing the youth.

“The summits are not just events where people come, listen and leave, but platforms for conversation on how practically young people could be exposed to technical, vocational and occupational skills development opportunities in Correctional Services, that were traditionally accessible to only offenders,” he said.

Mangaung Correctional Centre currently houses 610 remand detainees of between 18 and 20 years of age, while those serving sentences within the same age group total 596. Most of these young people are in custody for murder, rape, robbery and assault, which is one of the biggest concerns of the Department of Correctional Services.

Masutha said more prevention measures are needed to create hope for a better life and prevent young people from turning correctional centres into their homes.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK