I am not going to vote for the ANC if it fails to employ young people, a 32-year-old unemployed graduate, Njabulo Bam said.
Bam said this at the African National Congress (ANC) Siyanqoba rally on Saturday that was held in FNB.
“I am an educator but I have been unemployed for the past nine years. We have been pleading with the ANC government to hire us but they are dismally failing.
“I am a member of the ANC, and I am going to vote for them but if it continues with its failures to hire unemployed teachers and graduate, then I am going to leave it,” he exclaimed.
Bam hails from uMzimkhulu in KwaZulu-Natal, he accused his province of being corrupt and failed to uplift and develop its youth.
He said he felt that today’s (Saturday) rally was the right platform to raise these issues as he failed to raise them in the “so-called” platforms.
When Bam demonstrated his frustration, members of the ANC security personnel threatened him asking if he was planted to ruin the rally.
However, Bam remained resolute to his call and continued lifting his placard asking President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in his matter.
“I am now threatened by people who are old enough to be my parents, and I wonder how are they feeling doing what they are doing to a young person who raises his concerns respectfully.
“How am I to realise issues if, I am going to be denied an opportunity to do so, especially in a platform I think is relevant,” Bam asked.
Bam is one of many young South African who’s grappling with challenges of unemployment.
This undesirable situation can be backed by statistics, which indicated a whopping 45.5% unemployment rate among young individuals (aged between 15 to 34 years), in contrast to the national average of 32.9% in the first quarter of 2024.
The data further revealed that the youth’s overall transition rate into employment was 4.7% in 2022, which showed an increase of 1.2 percentage points from 3.5% in 2021.
In the same period, adult rates remained unchanged at 6.7%.
A person’s chances of landing and keeping a job are also greatly influenced by their level of education. Compared to those without matric, those with tertiary education have a greater chance of transitioning from unemployment or inactivity into employment.
Education plays a crucial role in equipping young people with the skills and competencies necessary to succeed in the workforce. However, according to the quarterly labour force survey (QLFS), only 9.8% of the employed youth were graduates.
“Limited educational attainment, as well as social and economic disadvantages, are the primary factors driving elevated rates of unemployment, and the significant proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), in South Africa,” Statistics SA said.
Saturday Star