Youth unemployment crisis a 'moral emergency'

“I am looking for any type of a job. It really doesn’t matter what ... at least I won’t be part of the statistics. This is what hurts the most.”

These were the desperate words of 28-year-old Samuel Selepe, who has never worked in his life and is looking for employment to support his family. Selepe was among a group of young people who opted to hustle for piece jobs at the local car wash in Ikageng township near Potchefstroom yesterday as deputy president Paul Mashatile addressed a nearby Youth Day commemoration.

Mashatile described the youth unemployment crisis in the country as “a moral emergency”.

Selepe has spent years searching for a job. Earlier on Youth Day, he joined a group of young people who blockaded roads with tyres to protest the lack of jobs before police dispersed them with rubber bullets. They were hoping to send a message to the government about their plight and the future of youth in their community.

“What bothers me is that they [the government] did not prioritise us in the township while preparing for these big events,” he said.

Addressing the masses at North West University’s Rag Farm Stadium in Potchefstroom, Mashatile said the government has, over the past five years, implemented several mass youth employment programmes across the country to respond to the challenge of unemployment.

He said the unemployment crisis in SA was more than just an economic issue but a “moral emergency” and that the reality was that many young people in SA are not living the future they hoped for.

“They are confronted by high levels of unemployment, inequality and a lack of access to opportunities, especially in the digital world,” he said.

The frustration of being unemployed is something Katli (not her real name) understands very well. 

She depends on the social grants of family members for survival.

“Unemployment is frustrating, especially to the youth”, she said.

“We want jobs, We don’t want to rely on our family members who get grants.”

She questioned why the commemoration happened in town and not in the township where many unemployed youth live, so that Mashatile could see the reality of their daily lives.

“Most of the youth here did not even go to the commemoration. They [politicians] should come here and see how we are suffering,” Katli said.

Mashatile said the government acknowledged that the reality for young South Africans remained untenable, undesirable and unsustainable, because of the high levels of unemployment, inequality and a lack of access to opportunities.

According to Stats SA, young people between the ages of 15 and 34 make up just over half of the country’s working-age population, which is about 20.9-million people.

However, many of them could not find jobs and the country’s unemployment rate has risen to 32.9%, Mashatile said.

Another resident blamed nepotism for why many young people in their area were unemployed.

“There is nepotism at the municipality, our children cannot even get jobs there because government officials are prioritising their own families and friends,” he said.

“Service delivery is also at an all-time low. Look at how we are living here? Constant power cuts ... you sleep with lights on and wake up without power. The potholes are neglected.

“We need help. This is why it would have been good for [Mashatile] to come and host the event here so that he can see how we live. He should know we need help and not just big events.”

However, some of those who attended the commemoration said they believe Mashatile’s presence and his address would turn things around.

Floyd Setshogo said: “The deputy president did not just come here alone; there were other stakeholders in various sectors, including agriculture, which is a field I am interested in, so I managed to network and empower myself.

“I got much information, and the future looks bright because they are taking unemployment seriously. So, for some who can be business-minded, we can get funding.”

Phemelo Matsoso said she was benefiting from one of the government programmes called the National Rural Youth Service Corps, which is helping develop her skills as a drone pilot. 

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