Repair
South Africa is a country of enormous contrasts and huge potential. It has vast natural resources, an enormous diversity of cultures and experienced one of the least violent transitions to democracy in the developing world in 1994. Sadly, however it is also one of the most unequal societies in the world. Fifty per cent of South Africans live below the poverty line, and in 2002 seventeen per cent realise 72% of all income earned , while the poorest 50% realise only 3.3%. Almost exclusively it is black people alone who live below the poverty line, and in a country where 41% of the population are young people (under the age of 24), it is estimated that 61% of South African children live below the poverty line (Terreblanche, 2002, p. 384).Unemployment levels are also significantly high. For every one ‘white’ person unemployed 6.5 ‘black’ people are unemployed . The lack of employment opportunities has a direct impact on township youth. Fewer than 5% of school leavers are absorbed into the job market each year (Everatt, 1993) and nearly half of all current school leavers will never find employment (National Labour & Economic Development Institute, 2003). While youth face the prospect of long-term unemployment (and therefore poverty), they are simultaneously influenced by the acquisitiveness portrayed in the media and by the show of luxury they see (Dixon, 2001) in neighbouring suburbs. It is therefore perhaps not surprising that South Africa experiences the high crimes rates that it does. It is a little known fact that inequality and violent crime appear to be statistically related . In fact violent crime, substance use, poverty, (especially as a result of inequality), ontological insecurity, low life expectancy, unemployment, substance abuse, and violent crime all seem to be related.
The good news is that there is an enormous window of opportunity for changing both this scourge of violent crime, and for addressing inequality by helping young people escape their circumstances, become employable and ameliorate various risk factors in their lives. Further good news is that South African society have rich and vibrant civil and government programmes who work for youth in a number of key areas. A major weakness, in South Africa, as in the world over is the lack of coordination and replication of programmes and strategies that work to reduce youth poverty and provide young people with the skills and opportunities to take their place as productive and fulfilled adults.
See also Know, Innovate and Circulate.
Bridging the gap between what we know and what we do in youth development in the developing world

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