By Nangamso Mabindla
12 July 2007

YOUTH matters will now be squarely on the Buffalo City council agenda, following the election on Wednesday, 11 July of a youth council.

Youth forums, elected from the municipality's 45 wards, flocked to the East London City Hall to make their voices heard and take part in the elections. Establishing a youth council stems from the Youth Development Strategy (YDS), a City initiative in partnership with the United Nations International Children's Education Fund (Unicef).

The strategy aims to empower young people to become more involved in the affairs of local government and the decisions taken at that level that affect them. It also has a focus on HIV/Aids and aims to minimise the rate of new HIV infections among the city's youth.

Portfolio head for constituency, public participation and special programmes, Andile Ntoni, said setting up the Buffalo City youth council was important for youth participation in local government. "We have youth forums made up of eight members in our 45 wards; and the chairpersons of these forums make sure youth issues are dealt with in our ward committees."

He said that it was from these 45 chairpersons and other ward forum members that the youth council had been elected. "The youth council comprises of five office bearing representatives and six additional members; these will liaise with the special programmes unit on youth issues and the unit will communicate their issues to the City council."

The youth council would also help to prioritise youth issues through the City's Integrated Development Plan.

It had a chairperson and deputy, a secretary and a deputy, and a treasurer. Voting for the people they wanted to be their voice in developmental local government, the ward representatives elected chairperson, Sifundo Mlinda; his deputy, Nomvuzo Saul; secretary, Malinge Zibi; deputy secretary, Ayanda Mbese; and treasurer, Nathi Janties.

The six additional members are Siyabulela Simane, Ntombekhaya Ntshebe, Mthetho Mgayi, Fezile Apleni, Mandisi Somaza and Zola Titimani.

The newly elected council will get straight to work, sitting for its first meeting on Friday, 13 July. Some of its immediate responsibilities include reviewing the YDS and developing a plan of action for the upcoming year.