Job promises or election stunts?

The youths’ responses came after Fourways Review went into the streets to get their reaction to Tau’s State of the City address which he delivered on 6 May.

In his address, Tau announced the rollout of Vulindlel’ ejozi, a job creation initiative which he said will immediately benefit 200 000 Johannesburg adolescences. He said his city went into partnership with Harambee Youth Accelerator, a youth development enterprise, with the aim of providing immediate solution to the massive problem of youth unemployment.

The young people of Fourways who spoke to this newspaper said they have been fed with the same rhetoric every election year.

Connie Tshabalala of Diepsloot said the same job promises were made through the mayoral podium.

“They have been saying the same thing every election year. Whenever elections are around the corner they make the same promises to the youth of jobs,” said the 24-year-old Tshabalala.

Tshabalala said she does not expect any benefit from the job promises. She added that infrastructure development was mostly limited to affluent areas.

“Go to Diepsloot and see if there are any major developments taking place as compared to high class areas,” said Tshabalala.

Mark Ingham (27) of Fourways expressed the same sentiments. Ingham said the majority of Johannesburg youths were unemployed despite claims of employment creation by politicians.

“I doubt if we will experience an employment boom because politicians are prone to making promises of all sorts every year,” said Ingham.

Miriam Silike (28) who washes cars for a living at Fourways Mall hopes to benefit from the job promises.

“I want a decent job, but each time the City of Johannesburg rolls out projects in my area, they bring their workers from somewhere, leaving us out,” said Silike.

A Fourways passer-by, Melusi Tlou, said he has been on a job hunt for the past three years and has lost faith in whatever politicians say.

“I have stopped chasing job promises made by those in government and whatever the mayor said yesterday has no bearing on the quality of my life,” said Tlou.

Tau’s highly-publicised State of the City address seems to have failed to strike the correct cord with the youth. This is despite the fact that the mayor explicitly promised to enrol the youths in education and training programmes designed to improve their economic participation.

“Where and when should we apply to be considered for those jobs? Those are just political statements. I wish something could come out of those promises,” said Lunga Nyathi of Kyalami.

Do you believe Mayor Tau’s Vulindlel’ ejozi will create more than 200 000 jobs? Share your views on the Fourways Review Facebook page