
Mining company bands with cruiseliner to tackle youth unemployment
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa continues to grapple with staggering youth unemployment levels, which have gone up by nearly 10% in the past decade.
Approximately 45.5% of youth are currently out of a job.
But big business is doing its part to help.
READ | Workers' Day | Many willing workers, not enough jobs
Anglo American, through its Zimele initiative, has joined forces with Silversea Cruises.
They've created a programme designed to offer job opportunities in the hospitality and tourism industries, equipping participants with valuable skills and a professional network.

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IOL News
7 days ago
- IOL News
Closing the skills gap: how training programmes are reshaping the workforce
Jennifer Mdluli is a radio broadcaster, Head coach and Founder of Emerald Gymnastics Club, and facilitator dedicated to youth and community development. As South Africa observes Workers' Day in May, the occasion carries a bitter undertone for many young people. For them, this time no longer symbolises hard-won labour rights or economic progress; it is instead a reminder of exclusion, unemployment, and unfulfilled promise. According to Stats SA, the unemployment rate stood at 31.9% in Q1 2024 and rose to a staggering 32.9% in Q1 2025. The expanded unemployment rate, which includes discouraged job seekers, reached 43.1%. Among the youth, the picture is even bleaker. While time-related underemployment remains at 4.6%, suggesting some are working fewer hours than they are willing and able to, the broader concern is the quality and accessibility of jobs. Distressingly, only 9.8% of employed youth are graduates, highlighting a harsh truth: higher education, while essential, no longer guarantees employment. This disconnects between education and economic opportunity reveals systemic issues. Many young South Africans remain locked out of the workforce, not because of a lack of will or potential, but due to structural inequalities, limited access to quality education, a lack of job creation, and persistent socio-economic barriers. The growing number of NEETs (youth not in employment, education, or training) is perhaps the clearest indicator of a generation at risk of long-term marginalisation. Without targeted interventions such as inclusive labour market policies, youth-focused entrepreneurship support, and stronger links between education and industry, South Africa risks losing the demographic dividend its youth could offer. As we reflect this workers month, let us not only honour the workers who built and sustain our economy, but also confront the realities faced by those still striving to enter it. South Africa cannot afford to leave its youth behind. The Urgent Call for Skills Training With traditional job pathways shrinking, young people are turning to alternative ways of becoming employable. Skills training has emerged as a practical and empowering solution - one that not only teaches job-ready competencies but also boosts confidence, independence, and long-term resilience. Recent data shows that youth with some form of experience are significantly more successful in transitioning into employment than adults. Between quarters, 12.3% of youth moved from unemployment or inactivity into work, compared to 7.4% of adults. This highlights the importance of early exposure to real-world work environments and practical skills. Community-Based Change: The Mordecai Ndlovu Foundation In response to this urgent need, organisations like the Mordecai Ndlovu Foundation are stepping up to close the gap from the ground up. Through initiatives such as the Waste Management Skills Programme, the foundation is equipping young people with accredited, industry-relevant skills that address local employment gaps. More than just training, these programmes offer: Stipends to alleviate financial pressure during the learning process Hands-on practical experience to ensure real-world readiness Structured mentorship and support, helping youth navigate the pathway into work As Mordecai Ndlovu, a passionate member of the Activate! Change Drivers and Generation G Champion, explains: 'I've had the privilege of driving social discussions around youth development in communities such as Tembisa, Orange Farm, Katlehong, and the Vaal. Our focus has been on creating meaningful programs and dialogues that address the unique challenges faced by young people. Through skills training, we bridge the employment gap by ensuring our youth are not only employable but equipped with practical industry skills.' Work, gender, and justice: a generation's call for change The future of work must also be gender-just. South Africa cannot address youth unemployment without tackling the deep gender inequalities that restrict access to opportunities and perpetuate violence. The Generation Gender (Gen G) program - a partnership between Activate! Change Drivers, ActionAid, and Sonke Gender Justice - is a vital response. Gen G works to build gender-equitable, violence-free societies, empowering youth as agents of change, especially in addressing the persistent crisis of gender-based violence (GBV). Skills training, therefore, must do more than prepare people for jobs - it must be transformative. Programmes must intentionally dismantle gender stereotypes, promote safety in training and workspaces, and ensure that young women, queer youth, and non-binary individuals are fully included. For example, the Waste Management Skills Programme not only creates green jobs but also challenges male-dominated norms, opening up new possibilities for inclusion and leadership. The political moment: from symbolism to structural change With South Africa entering a new political phase under a Government of National Unity (GNU), the country is presented with a rare opportunity for collective, forward-thinking action. Workers' Month in May must be more than commemorative; it must become a moment of commitment. The GNU must mainstream youth employment and gender justice into national policy, from funding inclusive skills training to protecting vulnerable workers from exploitation and harm. Partners like those in the Gen G alliance are already doing the groundwork, hosting dialogues, training changemakers, and shifting norms at the grassroots. Now, national leadership must match this momentum with bold reforms. This includes scaling up community-based innovations, strengthening industry-education partnerships, and ensuring that youth are not just beneficiaries of programs but leaders of change. The bigger picture: skills, not just jobs Statistics show that 65% of employers report skills shortages, not a lack of applicants. The most in-demand attributes aren't just technical skills, but soft skills like communication, adaptability, and problem-solving. These are competencies that programs like the Waste Management Skills Programme actively develop. In this light, training programs are not just a stopgap, they are a sustainable pathway to a reimagined workforce that values adaptability and lifelong learning. They also promote social inclusion, dignity, and a renewed sense of purpose for young people. A call to action South Africa's youth face a challenging job market, but hope lies in proactive, community-driven initiatives. Skills training offers more than employability; it offers empowerment. Organisations like the Mordecai Ndlovu Foundation are proving that with the right support, potential can be unlocked, and futures reshaped. Let this Workers' Day be more than a symbolic gesture. Let it be a call to invest in our youth, in skills development, and in programs that uplift from the grassroots. * Jennifer Mdluli is a radio broadcaster, Head coach and Founder of Emerald Gymnastics Club, and facilitator dedicated to youth and community development. A member of Activate! Change Drivers, an organisation that fosters youth leadership and inspires social change through creativity and engagement, Jennifer is committed to supporting efforts that promote equality, inclusion, and empowerment for all individuals.

IOL News
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- IOL News
Anglo American's platinum spinoff lists in Johannesburg as Valterra
A dance group wearing mine workers' attire performs ahead of the listing of Anglo American's platinum unit under its new name, Valterra Platinum, at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange headquarters in Sandton, South Africa, May 28, 2025. Valterra Platinum, the world's biggest platinum miner by value, made its trading debut on the Johannesburg bourse as a standalone unit on Wednesday, completing a spin-off from parent Anglo American . Its shares opened weaker on the JSE before changing direction and were trading up 1.6% at 9.15am on Wednesday. Anglo's demerger of the Johannesburg-based platinum group metals producer, formerly known as Anglo American Platinum, comes as it shifts focus to copper and iron ore. London-listed Anglo is exiting the platinum mining business as part of a business revamp roughly a year on from surviving a $49 billion (R876bn) takeover attempt from bigger rival BHP Group . Anglo retained a shareholding of about 19% in the South African platinum miner. It is also selling its coking coal assets in Australia, nickel mines in Brazil and has said it is weighing whether to sell or list its loss-making De Beers diamond unit. REUTERS


The Citizen
22-05-2025
- The Citizen
43 000 Mpumalanga residents lose jobs in first quarter of 2025
The country celebrated Workers' Day on May 1, but about 43 000 Mpumalanga residents lost their jobs in the first three months of this year. These unfortunate people are unlikely to have joined the celebrations. Stats SA released the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the first quarter of 2025 on Tuesday, May 13. The results for the first quarter of 2025 show that the total number of unemployed youth (15 to 34 years) increased by 151 000 to 4.8 million, while employed youth recorded a decrease of 153 000 to 5.7 million. As a result, the youth unemployment rate increased from 44.6% in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 46.1% in the first quarter of 2025. ALSO READ: Public warned against illegal sand mining Currently, youth unemployment in Mpumalanga is at 46.4%, one of the highest in the country. Unemployed jobseekers stand on the sides of the roads in Mbombela every day, seeking temporary job opportunities. During an interview with a jobseeker in the CBD, Carol Ndlovu (not her real name) said due to the high number of unemployed people in the area it has become difficult to find permeant employment. Ndlovu said many people prefer to clean their own homes and the increase in unemployed people has made it more difficult to find work opportunities. 'The hardest days are when I have to borrow money for the bus fee, yet I go home without any money. Some days we go home without anyone offering us work and this means I do not get to raise money for transport to go back home. I tried to apply for work, however, I struggled to find opportunities. I have a family, so I decided to wake up every morning, get onto a bus and leave my township so that I might put food on the table.' Siyabonga Maziya, another unemployed resident, said they face various challenges in their quest to make ends meet. 'We sometimes stand on the side of the road and we are unable to take money home because we could not find any opportunities. We have tried to apply for jobs but we are not getting anything.' ALSO READ: High court orders that assets be seized after alleged R5m Covid-19 PPE fraud uncovered In a statement, Grovè-Morgan said the DA is concerned that over 40 000 residents of the province have lost their jobs in the first quarter of this year. The QLFS report also revealed that the majority of the job losses were in the agriculture, mining and construction sectors. 'These job losses paint a very bleak picture of Mpumalanga's job market, where the unemployment rate increased to 35.4 % from 34.7% at the same time last year. Furthermore, the number of discouraged work seekers (expanded unemployment rate) in Mpumalanga increased to over 2.5 million (49.3%) out of a population of 5.1 million. 'The province's lost generation, the youth, contributes significantly to the expanded unemployment rate. This is a crisis that needs to be tackled by both the provincial government and the private sector.' The newspaper contacted the Office of the Premier for a comment and was referred to the Department of Economic Development and Tourism. By the time of going to press the department had not responded to the enquiry. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!