Youth unhappy with JDA response to job demands

The Alex Youth Forum handed over a list of demands to Joburg Development Agency, which include job reservation for local youths.

This after the ongoing developments of the ReaVaya Bus Rapid Transit system which allegedly uses no local contractors; high youth unemployment; and government’s plans for radical transformation of the economy.

The demands are:

• Sixty percent reservation of all jobs in the area for the youths.
• Thirty percent reservation of all procurement to be reserved for local youth-owned companies and businesses.
• Contractors to contribute 5 percent of their profits to local development programmes.
• Contractors working in the area to provide skills development and mentor youths they employ.

The agency responded that it would not be possible to fulfil the demands on ongoing contracts, but advise future contractors to consider local youths. It said current contractors employed 179 local youths and engaged two youth projects. It added that this was in line with its enterprise development policy of engaging and mentoring emerging youth enterprises.

It further said that it would advise contractors to consider ploughing back part of their profits to local development through their corporate social investment programmes. Also, it would urge the contractors to provide accredited skills development for the youths through the Sector Education and Training Authorities. This, in areas of quality control, production planning, occupational safety, resource management and others. Furthermore, it would assist contractors with a database of youths in small medium and micro enterprises who require training. It was also developing a youth mentorship programme for implementation in the next three months.

Sam Ngoetjane, chairperson of the forum, said the agency didn’t seem to realise the seriousness of their demands.

“They are part of the forum’s 2013 resolutions known by the City and only waiting for implementation,” he said.

He stated that the agency continued to sideline local experienced contractors who could be interested to empower and mentor the youths businesses through sub contracts and skills transfer. This, he said, would fast track the independence of youth businesses and their ability to start bidding for local work on their own. He added that the agency’s response was a stalling tactic while unemployment, frustration and anger were increasing. Ngoetjane indicated that the forum would meet other stakeholders soon to plan a way forward, but in the interim could not rule out possible protests.