The face of unemployment

With the recent jaw-dropping announcement by Stats SA regarding unemployment, it is difficult to actually imagine what 6.7million unemployed people might be feeling. Who are these faceless people? For many they are merely a number in a statistic.

The Sandton Chronicle visited job seekers at St Mungo’s United Church’s Setlamo Employment Bureau in Bryanston to highlight the plight experienced by millions of unemployed people in South Africa.

Those who are seeking employment from the employment bureau highlight the difficulty in finding new and permanent work. For some, finding permanent work is their main struggle while other highlight concerns about transport and upskilling themselves.

The employment service has been running at the church for more than 25 years and seeks to connect prospective employers with job seekers. The jobseekers are primarily domestic workers and gardeners but the service also helps caregivers, drivers and painters among others.

The Sandton Chronicle spoke to some of the job seekers to share their experiences. On average the jobseekers were in their mid-30s to late 40s and were searching for longer-term employment after working odd jobs over the years.

The jobseekers shared how frustrating it can be to have to search for employment every few years. Maggie Nkgapele, a 46-year-old domestic worker, shared how scared she feels looking for a new job when she doesn’t have any food at home for her family. Nkgapele is a caregiver and domestic worker and needs to find employment after her employer passed away.

Nkgapele has first-aid training and would love to do more courses in the field.

Dora Madikwe has helped care for people’s homes and children for the past six years and loves working with children but said that it is disappointing when the children go to school and she is no longer needed. “It’s sad to leave the kids when they get older because they love me and I love them.”

She has had good success with the employment service previously and always returns to the St Mungo’s when she is looking for a new job. Madikwe agrees with Nkgapele and said she would also love to improve her skills as a child caregiver. “I love working with kids so I would love to work at a crèche.”

Alick Mtonga had to leave his piece jobs at the beginning of the year when he travelled to Malawi to care for his sick father. When he returned at the beginning of June he needed to find work again. Mtonga is passionate about gardening and enjoys working with his hands.

However, as a gardener Mtonga said that he often doesn’t find a full-time job but rather works one or two days a week with different people.

“Before I was went back to Malawi I was working Monday to Saturday with different people and that was enjoyable because every time you encounter a different situation and you learn a lot.”

Mike Chibeta, who is also a gardener, said that it is very difficult looking for a job and in the past month that he has been coming to the employment service, there haven’t been many prospective employers.

Paris Maruma, a 38-year-old driver, agreed that one of his biggest challenges is finding work that extends beyond one or two years. He said that as a driver he often only finds jobs that last for a specific period of time. It was his first time visiting the employment service and he said he was hopeful that he’d be able to find a more permanent job.

The Sandton Chronicle previously featured the employment service in Bridge between jobs [Week ending 5 July] and highlighted how the number of potential employers visiting the agency has decreased. Despite the ever-increasing unemployment numbers, the Setlamo Employment Bureau works to give every person the possibility of future employment.

For more details, email Heather Garrett on garretth@mweb.co.za

Have you used the employment service at St Mungo’s United Church? Share your experience on the Sandton Chronicle Facebook page

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https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/229426/local-church-works-to-address-unemployment-in-the-community/