Creating more jobs in South Africa
DIEPSLOOT – As part of their Voices of Unemployment campaign, members of the Democratic Alliance (DA) hit the streets of Diepsloot to talk about unemployment.
Ward 94 councillor John Mendelsohn said, “We are not promising people jobs, we are promising to change policy to make the environment more conducive to labour which it currently isn’t.”
Speaking in Diepsloot, Member of Parliament Cameron Mackenzie, said, “South Africa is in a crisis. Since Jacob Zuma became president the country has lost 8.5 million jobs and continues to lose every day.”
He added that 744 jobs were lost in a day and two jobs per second. “The more people are unemployed the less the economy grows,” he added.
The DA has since implemented a five-step plan that they believe will not only create jobs but also create a more conducive environment for labour.
Mackenzie outlined the programme as follows:
- Invest in infrastructure: Improve our roads and train system so that people can get to where there is work and so that businesses can move their products easily across South Africa. Many workers will be needed to maintain this infrastructure.
- Improve education: Ensure that children receive a quality education and learn skills they need to easily get a job. The DA guarantees free tertiary education for qualifying matriculants and will create more internships so that people can gain the work experience they need.
- Change labour law: Make it easier for businesses to hire people while protecting the rights of workers. Less paperwork equals more jobs
- Reward businesses that create jobs: Assist in paying the salaries of young people that businesses hire through programmes such as the youth wage subsidy. The DA will also create more Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) jobs and make access to these jobs fairer.
- Create a nation of entrepreneurs: Make it easier for people to start their own small businesses and hire staff. More small businesses equal more jobs.
The DA has called on all South Africans to join them for the march in solidarity with poor and unemployed South Africans who are suffering as a result of no economic leadership.
Details: check.da.org.za
