‘We’re putting President Ramaphosa under pressure,’ says ANCYL on KZN jobs march

African National Congress (ANC) Youth League leader Collen Malatji says the jobs march in eThekwini is meant to “put the president of the country under pressure”.

The league will be marching from the DCC market to the Durban City Hall to hand over a memorandum to eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba.

Malatji said the youth league was calling for the ANC to implement outlined plans for job creation as promised.

Last month, Statistics SA reported that the official unemployment rate had risen by 0.6% to 33.5% in the second quarter. According to Stats SA, 92,000 more people lost their jobs during this period.

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Young people face the highest unemployment rates, with 60.8% of those aged 15 to 24 and 41.7% of those aged 25 to 34 affected.

Youth league demands jobs

In April last year, then-mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, in his State of the City Address, listed projects the city would launch.

Among them is the Cato Ridge Freight and Logistics development, expected to create more than 10,000 jobs and generate an annual revenue of R300 million for the city, and the Shongweni Urban Development phase valued at R8 billion, expected to create 10,000 construction jobs over a period of 10 years for the city.

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“Despite the urgent need for job opportunities, it has come to our attention that the municipality has over 10 000 available positions that have not yet been advertised,” said the youth league on its social media pages.

“This glaring oversight is a missed opportunity for thousands of our youth who are eager and ready to contribute to our city’s growth.”

If the mother body does not implement its programmes, the youth league will march to the Union Buildings too.

“We are putting the president of the country under pressure. We made this commitment before and after elections. It is our job now to make sure they get implemented because unemployment causes issues of drugs in communities – crime. A lot of challenges manifest in the unemployment of youth in South Africa,” Malatji told Newzroom Afrika on Monday morning.

Unemployment ‘a disaster’

During the launch of its 80^th celebration month on Tuesday, 3 September, the league declared youth unemployment a disaster. It called for urgent action.

The league called for the reservation of specific industries for South Africans to enhance business opportunities and employment. These industries include spaza shops, food delivery, restaurants, security, e-hailing services and construction.

“These sectors are crucial entry points into the job market, particularly for young and unskilled workers,” said the youth league.

“By prioritising South Africans in these sectors, meaningful progress can be made in reducing unemployment and providing more opportunities for youth to secure stable, dignified work.”

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