With the GNU having been in office for one year this week, and ahead of ActionSA’s evaluation of the GNU’s performance next week, I engaged young South Africans in the streets of the inner city of Joburg about their perceptions of change in the country under the GNU.
To put it mildly, young South Africans are giving the GNU a thumbs down.
Without fail, every young South African I spoke to shared common threads in their stories. All of them had pursued further studies after school, with their families moving mountains to provide that opportunity in the hope that they would one day be able to earn a living.
The vast majority are currently unemployed, and most reported having had only short stints of work in industries unrelated to their studies. Many shared the frustration of being turned away due to a lack of experience, which they cannot acquire because they are repeatedly turned away. In each of the communities these young people come from, more and more youth are turning to crime, drugs and despair due to a lack of purpose.
During the engagements, each of the young South Africans was informed that ActionSA would be in Parliament next week to present an evaluation of the GNU’s performance after one year in office. They were asked what grade they believed ActionSA should give the GNU for its role in growing the economy and creating jobs.
The responses were brutal.
Lamize and Zee, friends in their twenties, graduated from universities with degrees in Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management. Both indicated that they are currently unemployed and have only found temporary opportunities unrelated to their fields of study.
Mothimu (28) from Lenasia holds a Diploma in Law. He spoke about how his family had invested in his future, and how he has been unable to find work for five years since graduating, making it impossible to help them in return.
Karabo (31) from Tembisa completed a BA in Communications and Digital Communications. Due to an inability to find employment, he is currently studying Data Science. He described the job market as brutal and spoke about the hopelessness facing young people in Tembisa, many of whom are turning to alcohol and drugs as an outlet.
Candice (22) from Witpoortjie completed a Diploma in Media Practices but lamented the difficulty in finding work since completing her studies last year.
Kamo (24) from Alex studied Building and Civil Construction, Electrical Engineering and Boilermaking, and is currently studying Occupational Health and Safety. He explained how he has been unable to find work in the construction sector, and how efforts to secure internships in government were declined due to his lack of work experience.
It is no surprise that these young people are giving the GNU a failing grade — not only because many of them are more qualified than several GNU ministers, but because the GNU has yet to introduce a single economic reform that would increase their chances of finding work and fulfilling the potential that their families have invested so heavily in.
At the heart of the problem is that, one year into office, the GNU continues to implement the same failed policies of previous ANC governments. Political parties in the GNU who were previously critical of ANC policy now sit in Cabinet and oversee departments that are enforcing those very policies. ActionSA maintains that until the country’s economic trajectory reflects the changes signalled in the last election, young people like those we met will continue to languish without hope or opportunity.
When ActionSA presents its evaluation of the GNU next week, we will represent the views of these young South Africans and fight for their right to realise their potential through meaningful economic reforms, even if those reforms must be championed from the opposition benches, in the absence of any new ideas from those within the GNU.
Young South Africans Give the GNU a Failing Grade
With the GNU having been in office for one year this week, and ahead of ActionSA’s evaluation of the GNU’s performance next week, I engaged young South Africans in the streets of the inner city of Joburg about their perceptions of change in the country under the GNU.
To put it mildly, young South Africans are giving the GNU a thumbs down.
Without fail, every young South African I spoke to shared common threads in their stories. All of them had pursued further studies after school, with their families moving mountains to provide that opportunity in the hope that they would one day be able to earn a living.
The vast majority are currently unemployed, and most reported having had only short stints of work in industries unrelated to their studies. Many shared the frustration of being turned away due to a lack of experience, which they cannot acquire because they are repeatedly turned away. In each of the communities these young people come from, more and more youth are turning to crime, drugs and despair due to a lack of purpose.
During the engagements, each of the young South Africans was informed that ActionSA would be in Parliament next week to present an evaluation of the GNU’s performance after one year in office. They were asked what grade they believed ActionSA should give the GNU for its role in growing the economy and creating jobs.
The responses were brutal.
Lamize and Zee, friends in their twenties, graduated from universities with degrees in Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management. Both indicated that they are currently unemployed and have only found temporary opportunities unrelated to their fields of study.
Mothimu (28) from Lenasia holds a Diploma in Law. He spoke about how his family had invested in his future, and how he has been unable to find work for five years since graduating, making it impossible to help them in return.
Karabo (31) from Tembisa completed a BA in Communications and Digital Communications. Due to an inability to find employment, he is currently studying Data Science. He described the job market as brutal and spoke about the hopelessness facing young people in Tembisa, many of whom are turning to alcohol and drugs as an outlet.
Candice (22) from Witpoortjie completed a Diploma in Media Practices but lamented the difficulty in finding work since completing her studies last year.
Kamo (24) from Alex studied Building and Civil Construction, Electrical Engineering and Boilermaking, and is currently studying Occupational Health and Safety. He explained how he has been unable to find work in the construction sector, and how efforts to secure internships in government were declined due to his lack of work experience.
It is no surprise that these young people are giving the GNU a failing grade — not only because many of them are more qualified than several GNU ministers, but because the GNU has yet to introduce a single economic reform that would increase their chances of finding work and fulfilling the potential that their families have invested so heavily in.
At the heart of the problem is that, one year into office, the GNU continues to implement the same failed policies of previous ANC governments. Political parties in the GNU who were previously critical of ANC policy now sit in Cabinet and oversee departments that are enforcing those very policies. ActionSA maintains that until the country’s economic trajectory reflects the changes signalled in the last election, young people like those we met will continue to languish without hope or opportunity.
When ActionSA presents its evaluation of the GNU next week, we will represent the views of these young South Africans and fight for their right to realise their potential through meaningful economic reforms, even if those reforms must be championed from the opposition benches, in the absence of any new ideas from those within the GNU.