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JOBLESS: A usual sighting on South African roads. Photo: Alon Skuy

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THE IFP Youth Brigade has expressed concern about the contents of the South Africa Economic Update: Inequality of Opportunity report released by the World Bank earlier this week.

The Labour Force Survey on the first quarter of 2012 painted an equally grim picture earlier this year.

Both these reports highlight the extent of the crisis in South Africa, with unemployment standing at a staggering 25.2%, up from 23.9%. This percentage gallops even higher to 33% when discouraged job-seekers are accounted for.

The levels of inequality in the country are also very high; the World Bank reported that the top 10% of the population accounted for 58% of South Africa's income, while the bottom 10% accounted for just 0.5% of income.

"The solution to this cancer of continued inequality should be creating sustainable job opportunities, the education system needs to be dramatically improved such that it responds to the needs of the job market and our labour laws must be relaxed," IFP Youth Brigade national chairman Mkhuleko Hlengwa said.

"It is the youth, who constitute 72% of those unemployed, that bear the brutal brunt of unemployment, inequality and poverty.

"Urgent intervention is required for the sake of young South Africans. The problem is compounded further by the fact that in the first quarter, the economy shed 75,000 jobs."

Hlengwa blamed the high unemployment level on what it describes as "rigid labour laws".

"Our laws simply need to be revised because as they stand, they do not create a conducive environment for job creation.

"We must bring about reform to our labour legislation to increase the flexibility in the labour market."

Hlengwa also called for the immediate implementation of the Youth Wage Subsidy.

He said continued delay in implementing the Youth Wage Subsidy further compounded the problem of unemployment, inequality and poverty.

The IFP youth leader called on president Jacob Zuma to explain why the subsidy had not been implemented "and more importantly when it will be implemented.

"It is extremely selfish of Cosatu, particularly when its core interest is not about job creation but rather about job protection, to frustrate the urgent implementation of the Youth Wage Subsidy when the country is in such crisis.

"Cosatu is a stumbling block to South Africa's growth and prosperity; it is a Mafia organisation hellbent on protecting the interests of a few working people at the expense of millions of South Africans who simply want jobs, with a hope to work their way out of poverty and inequality."

Comments

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Wed Jun 19 08:23:19 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 27, 2012

Bumboklaat

Cosatu is a threat to the whole country. It affiliates are evn more dangerous than a petrol tanker driving into a veld fire!
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Jul 27, 2012

malemaforpresident

Cosatu is a stumbling block to South Africa's growth and prosperity; it is a Mafia organisation hellbent on protecting the interests of a few working people at the expense of millions of South Africans who simply want jobs, with a hope to work their way out of poverty and inequality
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The youth of this country are very coward what they know is consuming as much liquor as possible they must wake up and rise up torch government buildings,Municipal buildings,boycott buses, boycott pick n pay, checkers just like the Youth of 1976 uprising against this corrupt selfish COSATU once because that is the langusge they can easily understand what is the reason for not implementing Youth subsidy for that also they dont come up with a solution this high unemployment rate nxaaa
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Jul 27, 2012

Pointman

Cosatu is a business like Pick and Pay. Look after the shareholders(employed members) and maximise revenue(fees). They will look after themselves first and just make token noises about the unemployed. The government should create zones where labour laws does apply - e.g "export zones". We cannot get rid of the labour laws but we can weaken it by creating these zones.
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Jul 27, 2012

knobkirrie

malemaforpresident- you are a disgrace to our struggle. I wont dignify your myopic comment with a response. go to bed with your Juju
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Jul 27, 2012

Bebesocs

To the Youth of South Africa... Have you ever seen unions create jobs? Have you ever seen unions put the department of education in order? NO. There is not a single country in the world that is controlled by unions, look around eg. Russia, Germany, America, England etc they listen to what government says. I deeply feel sorry for our youth they have been abused by this government. Bantwana think deeply and seriously this is no way out, you will have all the support.
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Jul 28, 2012

Traveljunie

Cosatu and the other unions are the one reason SA has so much unemployment. They are the worst kind doing irreprable damage to us.

Stop the unions and SA will prosper
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Jul 28, 2012

SOLUTIONS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85OIBOSJTwg

OUT with the unions
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Jul 28, 2012

Bebesocs

In South Africa we have such high unemployment but can you imagine Vavi in today's city press telling us that he earns R500 000.00 per year and he feels that is not enough and he demands more and he is boastful about the electric gates and fences but he cares jerk sh...t about our youth that is suffering, What world do we live in? Oh what an insult to us all who have no jobs and we voted them , that's the mistake we made.
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Jul 28, 2012

chagos

Comments espoused here at Sowetan Live are simply neo-liberal World Bank propaganda against organized labor in South Africa. Neo-liberal IMF/World bank economic polices are designed to extract wealth of targeted nations and is not labor friendly anywhere on earth nor is it interested in economic well being of any nation.
Primary tenants of neo-liberalism are, deregulation,privatization of national assets, no labor unions, no government investments on schools, hospitals and infrastructure. Today, Asian, Latin American and Eurpeans nations are rethinking or resisting neo-liberal policies.

Core economic problems of SA are not addressed by the IMF/World Bank,only simplistic union bashing. At heart of South African economic woes is the serious problem of capitol flight. Capital flight, in economics, occurs when assets or money rapidly flow out of a country, due to an event of economic consequence. This occured in SA with the ascent of majority rule. The Bank of London and members of the old SA regime are benifactors of todays South African capital flight.
As long as the South African economy hemorrhages asset and money losses associated with capitol flight economic development is impossible i.e national economic well-being, jobs etc.
Most importantly ,South African economic polices should reflect the needs of the nation by reviewing the capital flight of national wealth.
No nation, wishing to protect its wealth, would allow capitol flight to occur on such a grand scale as South Africa does.

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Jul 29, 2012

16-12-1838

@ chagos and KNOB (head) - Please stop enforcing your lack of sanity on the rest of us! You are both prime examples of the rapid decline in our 'edukaaayshun' system, god help this planet if you are the future!
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