Deputy Speaker, hon members, the youth of today is well- versed, well-informed and very competitive. All that it wants is assistance from the government. In his reply to the President's address, Gen Holomisa said: "The cake we are all looking at is shrinking." I am saying that the cake shrank a long time ago, and the means of expanding it have to be devised.
Creating jobs is welcomed. However, many of our youth have business acumen but lack funds to start businesses. They are not creditworthy for financial institutions to loan them money. My understanding is - I am actually subject to correction on this one - that there are financial institutions which are out there to assist in starting businesses but have problems, among which is the requirement placed on applicants to contribute. This contribution makes it very difficult for some applicants to afford starting their own businesses. They consequently end up increasing the rate of unemployment.
Our youth must be assisted in starting their own businesses, and government must, at the inception of those businesses, nurture and incubate them until they find their feet. By so doing, government will be indirectly creating jobs because the youth in those businesses will definitely need to employ more people to assist them.
In the same vein, for any business to succeed, perfect discipline is one of the most important requirements. Having said that, I therefore submit that it is also incumbent upon government, in the process of developing the youth in entrepreneurship, to also bring back values and instil them. [Time expired.] Thank you.