Youth unemployment must be a priority for political parties
Nkosikhulule Nyembezi YOU can tell that South African youth will once more be betrayed by politicians by the way they promise to look after them in the run up to the local government elections scheduled for October 27 this year. The election manifestos are not out yet but, in this year that marks the 45th anniversary of the 16 June 1976 student uprising in Soweto, the vital question that will persist all the way to the inside of voting stations is: what strides has the ANC-led government and all other political parties in different municipal councils made in ensuring the youth have better opportunities for employment in South Africa in the face of glaring hardship resulting from chronic unemployment and poverty? With this year’s government focus on the youth under the theme: “The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society”, it will be hard to convince voters that the glass is half-full in the face of the recently released Statistics SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey of the first quarter of 2021, which confirms that young people are still struggling in the South African labour market. The official unemployment rate is 32.6%, while in an increasing number of municipalities, it has constantly stood in the region of 70%. No wonder there is a loud chorus of political parties demanding the postponement of the elections, even to the extent of criticising the Electoral Commission
