14 hours ago
Mashatile describes SA's unemployment crisis as a 'moral emergency'
Potchefstroom – Deputy President Paul Mashatile has sounded the alarm on South Africa's deepening youth unemployment crisis, calling it a 'moral emergency' that must be urgently addressed.
Speaking during the Youth Day official commemoration in Potchefstroom, North West, Mashatile honoured the legacy of the 1976 student uprisings.
In the same breath, he warned that today's youth face a different kind of battle, characterised by high unemployment, inequality, and a lack of opportunities, especially in the digital world.
Additionally, he noted with concern that 3.8 million young people are not in education, employment or training.
He said this needs urgent action from all sectors, including the government, business and civil society.
"We must fix the structural challenges in our economy to address inequality and skills mismatch between education and what the job market needs," Mashatile said.
He also took the time to outline several government initiatives aimed at empowering the youth.
They include entrepreneurship support and accelerating youth access to the job market through programmes such as the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention and the recently launched South African National Service Institute (Sansi).
