The Directorate: Gender, Youth, and Disability and Mainstreaming (GYDM) under Gauteng Department of Social Development hosted approximately 50 interns during the virtual Internal Youth Month event.
The event was celebrated under the theme "The year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing Youth Employment for an Inclusive and transformed society".
Speakers included Director of GYDM Ms. Leonie Van Der Merwe, Mr. Lood Hanekom Employee Health and Wellness Programme, Ms. Yvonne Deonarain, Director from HOD Office, Mr. Thulasizwe Makhanya of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke Institute.
During the engagement Van Der Merwe said young people of South Africa played an important role during the struggle in 1976. She encouraged the current interns to pay more attention to their studies despite the high rate of unemployment, and be heroes and heroines like the class of 1976.
"Due to the third wave of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Youth Month will be celebrated in a hybrid format. The pandemic has increased poverty, unemployment, unprotected sexual activities, crime and poor access to skills development opportunities among young people," Van der Merwe said.
Advising the youth Hanekom outlined the signs of Sexual Harassment that are unwelcome such as touching or deliberately brushing up against another person, suggestive comments or jokes, sexually explicit pictures or posters, unwanted invitations and so on. He further encouraged youth employees to report such if they ever experience these in the workplace.
Deonarain touched on ethics in the workplace on how to strengthen ethical behaviour and ethical leadership in public servants and improving customer care in the Department.
Thulasizwe Makhanya of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke Institute said the South African government has declared 2021 "The year of Charlotte Maxeke".
"The Civil Society is encouraged to do the same to honour this icon by being of Service to the communities we live in and use the hashtag #YearofCharlotteMaxeke to share activities and this would be her 150th year on earth, born 7 April 1871 and passed on 16 October 1939", said Makhanya.