Pearl Pillay-Director, Youth Lab

Pearl Pillay grew up in Chatsworth, an Indian township south of Durban on the South African East Coast. She is a director at Youth Lab, a Johannesburg think-tank that works “to provide various platforms for young people and decision-makers to exchange ideas, develop strategies and execute plans that will enhance the lives of young South Africans.”

Pearl and I chatted about her meeting her hero Arundhati Roy at a recent book launch, growing up in a religious home blighted by a violent and alcoholic father, and her path into activism and politics.

We also looked at the work of the Youth Lab and some of the issues confronting the youth of South Africa today in the face of low growth, high youth unemployment and government apathy.