The chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency – the government entity created to fund youth entrepreneurship activities – sent its executive chairperson and four other officials on a seven-day trip to New York at a cost of R1-million.
Sunshine Myende, the NYDA’s executive chairperson, who is also a national executive committee (NEC) member of the ANC Youth League, led the agency’s delegation on what some are calling a junket, to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80), flying business class and living it up for six nights at the super luxurious Hyatt Grand Central Hotel in the heart of the Big Apple.
Among the activities on their list were events that included “meet and greet”, “photo ops” and “social” events that critics of the junket complained were of no benefit to an agency mandated to empower young people.
Myende has strongly defended the trip, insisting the excursion was necessary to advance South Africa’s youth development agenda.
The trip, undertaken from September 19 to 26 last year, included a connecting business class flight from OR Tambo International to Dubai, then New York, and from New York to Atlanta and then back to Johannesburg.
Myende travelled with her executive PA, Ntombenhle Sibiya, NYDA spokesperson Feziwe Ndwayana, who has since resigned from the organisation, as well as parliamentary liaison officer Ntombizethu Sibisi.
The deputy executive chair of the agency, Bonga Makhanya, also joined in on the trip.
Insiders at the NYDA have described the business class flights and choice of accommodation for the executive chair, deputy and three staffers as excessively costly, arguing that the R1-million should rather have been directed to assisting young entrepreneurs in a country where youth unemployment hovers around the 60% mark.
Myende was accompanying the minister of youth, women and people with disabilities, Sindi Chikunga, to the UN General Assembly. It’s understood that her itinerary mainly included accompanying Chikunga to various engagements, including an “attend and network” event.
According to a “confidential itinerary” that Sunday World has seen, the NYDA boss was in tow when Chikunga was “speaking from the floor, sharing South Africa’s experience”.
It’s understood that none of these events were on issues of youth. A social summit side event organised by the UNGA and G20 focused on “how the G20 can drive inclusive and just responses to global crises, aligning to South Africa’s priorities on climate change, debt, sustainability, just energy transition and governance of critical minerals”.
When not by the minister’s side, Myende is said to have held a number of side meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA.
On September 24, she left the Hyatt at 9am for a “meet and greet” at the United Nations Youth Office. That same day, she attended a photo opportunity with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was in town to address the UNGA.
The day before she attended a G20 social event, which included a buffet breakfast spread.
Critics inside the NYDA described the trip as wasteful and unnecessary, saying the activities listed in the itinerary had no impact on the agency’s mandate of empowering youth across the country.
“The money could have been better spent on (business) grants or any other area, especially in operations, where we need it the most. The decision was met with harsh criticism internally, but the chairperson (Myende) bullied her way around and got the approval,” said the insider.
“The agency currently is operating on a deficit, and as such, is embarking on cost-cutting measures, so spending recklessly like this does not help the cause.”
Myende insisted that the trip was necessary, saying they went there at the invitation of Chikunga.
She said the jamboree was critical for the NYDA to advance South Africa’s youth development agenda on one of the world’s most influential stages.
“The mission was fully aligned with institutional governance processes and government delegation protocols and was undertaken with the necessary authorisations in place.
“We participated in the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, marking the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth, and engaged in high-level dialogues on youth economic empowerment, gender equality, skills development, and digital inclusion.”
She said travelling business class was in line with the government’s travel policy on long-haul flights and that there was nothing untoward about it.
She argued that spending R1-million on a trip for five people was not wasteful and not a big deal, saying there was a value-for-money benefit for young people.
“I want to assure you that the NYDA adheres strictly to National Treasury cost containment directives, and we take our responsibility to use public funds prudently very seriously.
“The question should not be about how much was spent; did the trip deliver value that surpasses its cost? And, yes, the trip delivered value that surpasses its cost in partnerships, in programmes, in policy influence, and in pathways for young people who were not in that room but will feel its impact for years to come. That is value for money.” She said the NYDA delegation travelled to New York to meaningfully invest in young people as part of the agency’s long-term mandate.
“I would say that I carry the weight of public accountability with every decision I make. I do not take the trust placed in me lightly.
“This mission was not a junket; it was a strategic investment in South Africa’s youth.
“The partnerships we forged and the policy influence we secured are designed to yield long-term, sustainable benefits for young people.”
Chikunga could not be reached for comment.
It’s not the first time that a trip to New York has led to controversy. It was revealed in September that Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe had spent over R3-million on flights and luxury hotels during a trip to New York to attend an event on the Status of Women. Her former spokesperson Lumka Oliphant, was accused of leaking the details and subsequently dismissed.
