Cape Town - No caring government can take pride in the fact that thousands of graduates are settling for social grants due to a lack of job opportunities.
That can be best described as a disaster waiting to happen, just as we saw during the July 2021 KZN and Gauteng unrest, which claimed the lives of more than 300 people.
Any nation’s hopes and aspirations are largely carried by its youth. Ours is becoming hopeless. That is why it makes for alarming reading that more than 700000 graduates have applied for the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant since the start of the year.
Of the more than 13.5million applications the SA Social Security Agency had received for the SRD grant as of the end of January, about 716000 were tertiary graduates.
Add to that the 1000 unemployed medical doctors affiliated with the SA Medical Association Trade Union who recently took to the streets demanding jobs across SA’s clinics and hospitals.
The country’s youth unemployment stands at over 60%. That is something that should give President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel, Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, and most importantly, Labour and Employment Minister Thulas Nxesi, sleepless nights.
All these ministers are missing in action and will likely show up once this crisis reaches boiling point. But do not be surprised when Ramaphosa retains them in his Cabinet reshuffle.
The ANC likes boasting about providing more people with social grants.
While there is no arguing against how important they are, it can in no way be something to be happy about.
It demonstrates how the state has failed to grow the economy enough to create opportunities for millions of young people who have so much to offer, not only for our collapsing municipalities but our failing state-owned enterprises.
If our country is unable to cater for its young citizens, especially graduates, then who is employed in our municipalities, state-owned entities and national departments?
Those in power better act now rather than be sorry later. We could not agree more with Cosatu’s advice that creating a nanny state is never sustainable.
Indeed, if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
Cape Times