One day living his dream keeps unemployed graduate going
The harsh living conditions in an informal settlement and being jobless have led him to sometimes view himself as a failure
One of the biggest challenges facing the youth of South Africa is unemployment.
In recognition of Youth Month, the Advertiser recently spoke to an unemployed graduate whose only motivation is that one day he will live his dream. Tshepo Makobela has been unemployed since the beginning of the year.
The 30-year-old young man from Joe Slovo informal settlement studied sports communications at the University of Johannesburg. In 2015, he proceeded to do his honours degree and in 2019 completed his master’s degree (fundamentals of communications).
His love for sports led him to choose this university course in the hope that one day he will be a sports analyst or a researcher. However, his initial preference was to study sports science, which he did not have the money to do.
In December 2019, Makobela was featured in The Star, Newzroom Afrika and Power FM after he based his thesis on the perception of black men in Katlehong about female “yellow bones”, which sparked a debate on Twitter and other social media platforms.
According to Makobela, his thesis idea came after he saw a TV talk show about the effects of skin bleaching.
Having grown up in Katlehong, he was aware how preference was given to light-skinned women.
“I thought since skin bleaching is a hot topic, why don’t I find out from men why they prefer to date light-skinned women,” he said. Besides getting a distinction for his thesis he also received recognition from a number of people.
Another remarkable memory that he remembers while studying in UJ was when he went to Atlanta, in the USA, for an exchange programme.
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Makobela said as a young man who has lived in Katlehong and Joe Slovo he hasn’t experienced democracy.
“The environment in Joe Slovo is not good for any human being, considering some of the harsh realities that we have to face every day, such as not having electricity, a proper house and a normal running toilet. Joe Slovo has been in existence since 1994, but we are living like forgotten people,” he said.
He added that living under such conditions and being unemployed had negative efforts on him because he sometimes believed that he was a failure.
“The experience of knocking on doors which are constantly being shut in your face is not a good feeling,” said Makobela. He keeps himself busy by reading books, writing articles, playing soccer and having broadened his academic sphere. He wishes to venture into media, communications and public relations some day.
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