The Inkatha Freedom Party has expressed concern over the high rate of unemployment among South Africans after a total of 65 000 people applied for 1 500 Johannesburg Metro Police trainee positions.
“These figures will continue rising if government continues to ignore its responsibility towards South Africans, in particular the youth. What is the government doing to remedy this situation? What are the current mechanisms that the government has put in place to reduce the youth unemployment rate?
We are a land of job seekers rather than job creators.
This shows that many young people are desperate for decent jobs. Unemployment among young people is a big threat in our country and leads to social evils or wrong behaviour such as crime and even uncontrollable misuse of alcohol and drugs, among others. The consequences of growing youth unemployment should be of serious concern for all sectors of society,” said IFP National Chairperson, Mr Blessed Gwala.
“Why are they being told that they are future leaders of the country while they languish in abject poverty and share a crowded house with their parents? It will be difficult, if not impossible for our youth to take on responsible positions if they are left without hope at this age. What we see is that many retired persons are brought back through the back-door as special advisors in government or given extensions to their contracts through dubious excuses.
Young people are not supposed to be on the streets. They need to work. The government should carry this blame as it is part of its responsibility to create sustainable employment or self-sustaining mechanisms for young able-bodied South Africans,” concluded Mr Gwala.
The IFP believes that to address youth unemployment the private sector, government and education systems need to start collaborating to determine what knowledge and skills young people should be taught in order to find rewarding work. Considering businesses are suffering from the skills mismatch, they need to take a more active role in promoting appropriate education and skills-building for young people from school going age. Government must promote small and medium-scale enterprises and encourage investors to put up industries that will ensure job security.
Issued by:
Mr Blessed Gwala
IFP National Chairperson
078 290 5842
