Gauteng residents who are part of the 2.9 million South Africans excluded from employment opportunities converged outside the Department of Employment and Labour in Pretoria earlier today to demand change without further delay.
Under the banner of Rise Mzansi political party, scores of people, many of whom said they had battled to find employment for years despite the many assurances given by the governing party, ANC, said they were now seeking change.
Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, the national chairperson as well as the provincial candidate for Rise Mzansi, said the party had gathered outside the department’s offices as they wanted to demonstrate to South Africans that they were about more than simply paying lip service to issues plaguing them.
Ramokgopa said through their discussions and community meetings with hundreds of people across the country, many had confided in them that they were sitting without any hope due to restrictive employment policies.
“Our being here today was to deliver a memorandum of demands not just as Rise Mzansi but speaking on behalf of and standing in solidarity with the hundreds of people we have spoken to and the 2.9 million South Africans that are between the ages of 35 and 44 years old who are deemed ineligible for employment by our government.”
According to the national chairperson, a “missing middle” existed within the employment sector, similar to education and housing that the government was continuing to neglect.
“What this policy has done is effectively leave millions of people hopeless, because people say what I am supposed to do from the age of 35, I now must sit at home and wait until I am 60 to be eligible for a grant.
“We think this requirement is arbitrary, and its harmful because largely the people over 35 are mainly mothers, and breadwinners, who are supposed to be in the prime of their lives but it is at that point where this government decides there is no use or place for them.”
Her sentiments were shared by 39-year-old Atteridgeville resident, James Skhosana, 39, who said he has had to make his way through life with piece and temporary jobs for the past 15 years.
“I kept asking myself what the problem is because I have a diploma, I do not have a criminal record so why can’t I get a job to provide for my family? My only hope now is that by giving parties like Rise Mzansi an opportunity, perhaps the doors of opportunities can finally be opened.”
Adeline Khumbula, 36 from Hammanskraal, said the most painful part for her was that she had never gotten an opportunity to fend or work for herself since she was born.
“It’s too painful that I have certificates and still cannot find employment to take care of myself. It hurts to be constantly asking people for handouts even if they are family because they too get tired of giving when they do not have much either.
“The government should have done something about this long ago instead of waiting for election year to hand out brief employment opportunities. For me the government has done nothing for me but give me a birth certificate and ID, that’s it.”
The Star