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IOL News
26-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Youth unemployment crisis: 5,787 new jobs created in South Africa's global business services sector
Unemployed graduates In the face of a youth unemployment crisis, 5 787 jobs for young people have been created in the global business services (GBS) sector, a catch-all phrase for outsourced services that support business operations across multiple locations or regions. Image: Phill Magakoe AFP In the face of a youth unemployment crisis, 5 787 jobs for young people have been created in the global business services (GBS) sector, a catch-all phrase for outsourced services that support business operations across multiple locations or regions. People employed in this sector provide services in aspects such as finance, HR, IT, and customer service. According to the October to December 2024 GBS Sector Job Creation Report by Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPESA), 6 290 new net jobs for international companies were recorded between October to December 2024, with 92% of these being for younger South Africans. For the 2024 calendar year, the GBS industry created 20,518 jobs, having grown three-fold in just five years. BPESA CEO, Reshni Singh, said that the 'continued growth and job creation are a testament to our industry's commitment to building careers for South Africans, especially our youth and those from marginalised communities'. Around 10 million South Africans aged 15 to 24 encounter significant challenges when entering the workforce, with unemployment rates notably higher than those of older youth. 'For many young South Africans, landing a job is more than just a milestone, it is a crucial step toward economic independence and inclusion. Yet for millions, this first step remains out of reach,' Statistics South Africa said in a data print released mid-month. Half of all citizens between 15 and 24 years of age were unemployed in 2015. Ten years later, this number has jumped to 62.4%, said Statistics South Africa in its research. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading BPESA's report showed that most of the jobs created as a result of expanding GBS activities into South Africa were in the Western Cape at 49.7%, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape. Cape Town is South Africa's business process outsourcing capital. Statistics South Africa's research showed that the situation regarding unemployed youngsters is worse in the North West and the Eastern Cape provinces, where 'the plight of unemployed youth deepens into economic exclusion'. In the first three months of 2025, the North West province recorded a youth unemployment rate of 58,8%, while only 43,0% of its young people aged 15 to 34 were active in the labour market. In the Eastern Cape, the picture is similarly serious, the agency said. 'With an unemployment rate of 54,3% and the lowest youth labour force participation rate nationally at 39,8%, fewer than four in ten young people are either employed or looking for work,' Statistics South Africa said of the situation in the Eastern Cape. Singh noted that BPESA was in ongoing discussions with the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition around a revised incentives package for the industry and was 'confident that with the right level of support the sector will drive further economic upliftment while showcasing South Africa's distinctive flair in servicing international customers'. The current GBS incentives include a rand-value grant per job over a five-year period and can be as much as R280 000 for every seat filled by an international company that relocates operations to South Africa. The bulk of the jobs were created in the utilities and energy sector, followed by retail and eCommerce and then insurance, BPESA's report showed. IOL
The Citizen
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 19 May 2025
24 hours in pictures, 19 May 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. South African Police Service (SAPS) officers walk during raid to retrieve looted goods during a protest at Diepkloof Hostel in Soweto on May 19, 2025. (Photo by Phill Magakoe / AFP) South Africa players celebrate after wining the men U20 CAF Africa Cup of Nations Final match between South Africa and Morocco at the Air Defense Stadium in Cairo, Egypt on May 18, 2025. Picture: Matrix Images / Khaled Elfiqi People hold candles as they attend a commemoration ceremony for the victims of the Mullivaikkal Massacre, marking the 16th anniversary of the Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day at Edward Elliot's Beach in Chennai on May 18, 2025. (Photo by BABU / AFP) Twenty-year-old foreign students of the Sookmyung Women's University, wearing traditional costumes, participate in a traditional Korean coming-of age ceremony, at the institution in Seoul, South Korea, May 19, 2025. The event is the Confucian ceremony for young people who have reached the age of twenty, at which age they are accepted as adults in traditional Korean society. Picture: Matrix Images/Kwak Kyung-keun EFF members hold placards during the VAT victory march to the National Treasury on May 19, 2025 in Pretoria, South Africa. This march celebrates the recent suspension of the proposed Value-Added Tax (VAT) increase, which the EFF views as a significant triumph for the working-class and impoverished communities. (Photo by Gallo Images/Frennie Shivambu) Thierry Neuville of Belgium drives his Hyundai i20 N Rally 1 during the WRC Rally de Portugal 2025 in Fafe, Portugal, 18 May 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/JOSE COELHO Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike in eastern Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 19, 2025. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 19 that Israel will 'take control' of the whole of Gaza, as the military pressed a newly intensified campaign in the war-ravaged territory. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP) Men dress as human statues during a parade in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 18 May 2025. The statue parade took place during the nineteenth edition of the 'Long Night of Museums'. Picture: EPA-EFE/JUAN CARLOS TORREJON US actor and singer Asap Rocky poses during a photocall for the film 'Highest 2 Lowest' at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 19, 2025. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP) State-of-the-art waste compactor trucks during the official handover at Kempton Park Waste Depot on May 19, 2025 in Kempton Park, South Africa. This forms part of the City Of Ekurhuleni Waste Management Fleet. (Photo by Gallo Images/OJ Koloti) Tanzania's main opposition leader Tundu Lissu (2nd L) gestures as he enters the court room at Kisutu magistrate's court in Dar es Salaam on May 19, 2025. Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu appeared in court on May 19, 2025 for his latest hearing in a treason trial in which he faces a potential death penalty. (Photo by ERICKY BONIPHACE / AFP) A teddy bear is seen in debris after tornados hit areas of London, Kentucky, USA, 18 May 2025. According to statement released by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, 19 people were killed in the state as a result of a tornado that touched down on Saturday morning, 17 in Laurel County and one in Pulaski County, where search and rescue are ongoing. Picture: EPA-EFE/ALLISON JOYCE Young people dance during a Flag Day celebration, in Cabo Haitiano, Haiti, 18 May 2025. Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime called for national unity and collective effort to create the conditions for a constitutional-reform referendum and 'free, inclusive, and credible' elections in a country mired in a deep crisis that has gone a decade without holding a vote. Picture: EPA-EFE/Patrice Noel A body is seen after being hit by a truck during looting and protests in Diepkloof, Soweto, 19 May 2025. Diepkloof hostel residents are demanding water, sanitation and development in the area. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/ The Citizen Andie McDowell (L) poses for a picture with Dane Foxx (R), a model from Acacia creative studio wearing a floral outfit at the Chelsea Flower Show during the press day in London, Britain, 19 May 2024. The annual gardening exhibition runs from 20 to 24 May 2024 at the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London. Picture: EPA-EFE/TOLGA AKMEN A woman attends the Bembe do Mercado manifestation in Santo Amaro, Bahia State, Brazil on May 18, 2025. With 136 years old, Bembe do Mercado, a cultural and religious manifestation of African origin, celebrates the abolition of slavery. (Photo by RAFAEL MARTINS/ AFP) A farmer holds bales of mallow fiber, in the community of Boca do Supia, in Manacapuru, Brazil, 18 May 2025. Twenty of the 62 municipalities in Amazonas, the largest state in the Brazilian Amazon, are in a state of emergency, and another 37 have declared alerts due to flooding caused by the heavy rise of rivers in the region, which has experienced intense droughts over the past two years. Picture: EPA-EFE/Raphael Alves PICTURES: Distinguished Gentleman's Ride Johannesburg
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
South Africa faces increased unemployment as youth joblessness reaches alarming levels
Trade unions and other experts have raised concern about South Africa's unemployment rate rising to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025 from 31.9% in the final quarter of 2024 released on Tuesday. Image: Phill Magakoe AFP Trade unions and other experts have raised concern about South Africa's unemployment rate rising to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025 from 31.9% in the final quarter of 2024 . According to Statistics South Africa, youth unemployment is currently at 46.1% in the first quarter of 2025. Matthew Parks, parliamentary coordinator for the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), said job numbers typically increase during the festive season as sectors like retail and hospitality thrive. Parks said this decrease in employment was extremely worrying. 'We cannot continue to normalise an economy where four out of 10 South Africans cannot find work. Our unemployment levels and the inability of an economy stumbling along 1% growth annually to absorb new labour market entrants must be treated as the existential threat to the nation,' he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) said the increase in discouraged work-seekers reflected widespread disengagement from the world of work. Fedusa said that they believed that the solution lied in an integrated strategy rooted in inclusive industrial policy, active labour market interventions, and strong institutional coordination. 'Labour-absorbing sectors such as manufacturing, agro-processing, green energy, and the care economy must be prioritised,' it said. South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, said that youth unemployment remained a national catastrophe. Professor Raymond Parsons, a North-West University Business School economist, said that the 1% rise in the unemployment level again raised another red flag about SA's weak growth performance. 'With GDP growth forecasts for 2025 having been progressively reduced by various institutions and economists to about 1.5% and below, it is not unexpected that this should now be reflected in higher unemployment levels," Parsons said. "The overall total unemployment level is now where it was a year ago and youth unemployment in particular remains at an unacceptable magnitude.' Anchor Capital said it was clear that South Africa continued to grapple with a relentless rise in unemployment, casting a shadow over the country's recovery efforts. 'While recent key reform measures point to a more positive trajectory, this progress has not yet trickled down to many South Africans in the form of job opportunities," said Anchor Capital. "Structural challenges, such as a skills gap, labour market rigidities, and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, have exacerbated unemployment rates, especially among the youth.' An economics professor at the North-West University, Waldo Krugell, said that the loss of jobs in the first quarter was worrying. 'It's also concerning for South Africa's growth. We don't have a GDP number yet but if you see this contraction in employment it tells you that growth has been stagnating again and this is a major problem. It doesn't bode well for doing business in South Africa,' Krugell said. Visit:
IOL News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
SA grannies strut the catwalk again
Margaret Fatyela (C), 78, reacts after being crowned the winner of the Sukuma Mbokodo Support Group's Elderly Beauty Contest in Thokoza. Image: Phill Magakoe / AFP At 17, Joyce Malindi won her first beauty contest under the suffocating limits of apartheid South Africa. Fifty-five years later, she was back on the catwalk, silver curls gleaming and brown clogs clicking, in a pageant for grandmothers only. The event in the Tokoza township outside of Johannesburg featured prayers, speeches and a performance against domestic violence, a national scourge. But the main attraction was on the red carpet stretching down the community hall where grandmothers paraded with pride in a competition that is rare among the host of others for younger women. "This takes me way back, brings my youth back," Malindi, a great-grandmother of five, said, breaking into a joyful jig to "Happy Mama" by legendary jazz musician Hugh Masekela. In this version of a beauty contest there were no swimsuit or evening wear categories. Instead, women paraded in their Sunday best, from sleeveless summer frocks to bold orange headwraps, strings of pearls to traditional wear. Floral fabrics and well-loved kitten heels hinted at celebrations past. Joyce Malindi, 72, reacts while competing in the Sukuma Mbokodo Support Group's Elderly Beauty Contest in Thokoza. Image: Phill Magakoe / AFP Supporters - mostly women from the Sukuma Mbokodo Support Group that organised the show - clapped, ululated and fiddled with their phones to record the spectacle. At the makeup corner, the top request was for deep red and berry toned lipsticks but most contenders chose to let their bare faces and bright smiles shine. Nearby, a teapot served cups of chai beside trays of scones. "They don't focus. When you are doing their makeup they want to multitask, talk, bark instructions," said 19-year-old volunteer hairdresser Ntokoza Ntshinga. The youngest contestant was 63 years old and the oldest 81. But it was septuagenarian Margaret Fatyela who took the silver-coated crown. "We are now like school children," she said, seated next to her modest prize of a tea set and a bag of toiletries. Sukuma Mbokodo Support Group founder Dizzy Mbuli poses for a photograph prior to competing in the Elderly Beauty Contest Image: Phill Magakoe / AFP It was the first time the former domestic worker and mother of eight had entered a pageant. "I feel like I am young again, capable of doing everything," she said, looking towards the first runner-up, Lidia Mokoena, who did not hide her beard. Organisers said the event was intended to celebrate the grandmothers and great-grandmothers on whom South Africa's largely impoverished society depends, even if they remain in the shadows. Nearly four in 10 children are raised in homes headed by grandparents, according to official data, with many parents forced to relocate for work, a high rate of teenage pregnancies and AIDS-related deaths among the contributing factors. "Often times the minute they take pension they are forgotten citizens, and all they do is look after great-grandchildren and grandchildren," local official Bridget Thusi said. "To have programmes like this where they are celebrated and to forget the problems at home was really an amazing thing to see," she said. For Malindi it was a boost after losing her husband four years ago. "At our old age, we thought that maybe because our husbands are gone, everything is gone, it's the end of the world," she said. But the event "picked our spirits us we are still alive and life still goes on, we better make ourselves the right grannies," she said, her brown eyes sparkling. | AFP
eNCA
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- eNCA
Ageless beauty contest: South African grannies strut the catwalk
JOHANNESBURG - At 17, Joyce Malindi won her first beauty contest under the suffocating limits of apartheid South Africa. Fifty-five years later, she was back on the catwalk, silver curls gleaming and brown clogs clicking, in a pageant for grandmothers only. The event in the Tokoza township outside of Johannesburg featured prayers, speeches and a performance against domestic violence, a national scourge. But the main attraction was on the red carpet stretching down the community hall where grandmothers paraded with pride in a competition that is rare among the host of others for younger women. AFP | Phill Magakoe "This takes me way back, brings my youth back," Malindi, a great-grandmother of five, told AFP, breaking into a joyful jig to "Happy Mama" by legendary jazz musician Hugh Masekela. In this version of a beauty contest there were no swimsuit or evening wear categories. Instead, women paraded in their Sunday best, from sleeveless summer frocks to bold orange headwraps, strings of pearls to traditional wear. Floral fabrics and well-loved kitten heels hinted at celebrations past. Supporters -- mostly women from the Sukuma Mbokodo Support Group that organised the show -- clapped, ululated and fiddled with their phones to record the spectacle. - Feeling 'young again' - At the makeup corner, the top request was for deep red and berry toned lipsticks but most contenders chose to let their bare faces and bright smiles shine. Nearby, a teapot served cups of chai beside trays of scones. "They don't focus. When you are doing their makeup they want to multitask, talk, bark instructions," said 19-year-old volunteer hairdresser Ntokoza Ntshinga. AFP | Phill Magakoe The youngest contestant was 63 years old and the oldest 81. But it was septuagenarian Margaret Fatyela who took the silver-coated crown. "We are now like school children," she told AFP, seated next to her modest prize of tea set and a bag of toiletries. It was the first time the former domestic worker and mother of eight had entered a pageant. "I feel like I am young again, capable of doing everything," she said, looking towards the first runner-up, Lidia Mokoena, who did not hide her beard. - 'Forgotten citizens' - Organisers said the event was intended to celebrate the grandmothers and great-grandmothers on whom South Africa's largely impoverished society depends, even if they remain in the shadows. AFP | Phill Magakoe Nearly four in 10 children are raised in homes headed by grandparents, according to official data, with many parents forced to relocate for work, a high rate of teenage pregnancies and AIDS-related deaths among the contributing factors. "Often times the minute they take pension they are forgotten citizens, and all they do is look after great-grandchildren and grandchildren," local official Bridget Thusi told AFP. "To have programmes like this where they are celebrated and to forget the problems at home was really an amazing thing to see," she said. AFP | Phill Magakoe For Malindi it was a boost after losing her husband four years ago. "At our old age, we thought that maybe because our husbands are gone, everything is gone, it's the end of the world," she said. But the event "picked our spirits us we are still alive and life still goes on, we better make ourselves the right grannies," she said, her brown eyes sparkling. By Hillary Orinde
