Beyond Data: Youth Realities and the Politics of Knowledge Production in South Africa

Young people in South Africa are confronted with multiple, overlapping social and wellbeing challenges, including HIV, crime, unemployment, social injustice, and mental health difficulties. While these issues may appear distinct, they are deeply interconnected and often reinforce one another in complex ways.

The fight against HIV, for instance, has become increasingly silent, raising concerns about declining awareness, persistent stigma, and limited engagement among young people. At the same time, youth unemployment has become so widespread that it is often normalised, significantly constraining opportunities and shaping life trajectories. Many young people are also living with undiagnosed and untreated mental health conditions, further compounding their vulnerability.
Within contexts of poverty and food insecurity—realities that remain pervasive rather than abstract—some young people are drawn into criminal activities as a means of survival. These structural conditions create environments in which risk is heightened and overall wellbeing is compromised.

Although a substantial body of research has examined HIV, crime, unemployment, and social injustice among young people in South Africa, a critical question remains: what becomes of these research findings? While studies are frequently conducted with the intention of informing policy and driving social change, there remains a persistent gap between research evidence and its translation into meaningful policy action.

This gap raises deeper questions about power, ownership, and purpose in knowledge production. Who determines the research agenda, and for whose benefit is this research conducted? Much of the research undertaken in South Africa, and across the African continent, is funded and shaped by actors in the Global North. As a result, decisions about what constitutes priority research are often influenced by external interests, which may not always align with the immediate needs and lived realities of African communities.

Consequently, research funding priorities can reflect the strategic and intellectual agendas of the Global North, rather than being grounded in locally identified needs and solutions. This dynamic perpetuates a dependency on external resources, even as there is a growing call for research that is conducted for Africa, by African researchers.

However, this call raises further questions about sustainability and autonomy: where will the resources for such research originate? Can African countries, including South Africa, generate sufficient financial and institutional support to fund their own research agendas? 

Addressing these questions is essential for shifting towards more equitable, locally driven knowledge production systems that not only generate evidence but also translate into tangible improvements in the lives of young people.