Introducing Thabani Kalala, a young person born and bred in Durban, KwaZulu Natal. Thabani is driven by human and community development. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Community Development from the University of South Africa. He founded the uMtwalume Youth and Community Development Project and later became a Champion for the Generation Gender programme.
In 2023, Thabani was elected as Chairperson of Umzumbe Civil Society and Deputy Chairperson of UGU District Civil Society. Thabani focuses on empowering youth and showcasing opportunities for personal and communal growth. He is skilled at mobilizing, coordinating and overseeing programs to engage and support diverse groups.
Thabani highlights that there is an upcoming youth entrepreneurship generation which has managed to run their successful and promising businesses. These innovative individuals are important in leading the economy forward and creating employment for others. However, Thabani also acknowledges that many of these young entrepreneurs face obstacles and challenges in scaling up their businesses, such as a lack of access to capital, resources, and mentorship.
“We have municipalities where the youth office is inaccessible, especially if you are not part of the political circle ruling that municipality”, he adds
Kalala believes that young people have an important role in improving society by getting involved in politics to tackle their own challenges. Young people should join programmes that teach them about the duties of local municipalities and their ability to influence the Integrated Development Plan (IDP). They must take part in programmes to help them identify what their communities lack and how to address these issues through the IDP. By doing so, the community can understand the ongoing and planned projects, enabling them to monitor the progress.
Kalala hopes that the youth of South Africa will be recognized and participate in the political space, where they can also draw up policies that speak directly to uplifting young people and creating opportunities for others.
“Young people are the key to any country’s development and sustainability, however, if we do not support and get young people with relevant qualifications in parliament and legislatures then we continue to create a country that does not care for its youth”, he concludes.
