Mahlamba Ndlopfu, not Houston, we have a problem!

According to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the official unemployment rate is now 29.0% for the second quarter of 2019. This figure represents a percentage of those still seeking employment, estimated at 6.7 million. This implies we have a bigger unemployment rate problem if we also consider the number of those having given up looking for work. The number of unemployed represents a significant portion of the population, now estimated at 58.8 million. With only 16.3 million (~28%) people employed, we have many dependent on the few for survival.

About 20% of the population lives in despair with no sight of a solution soon. If anything, this is a national disaster requiring us to collaborate in finding simple, effective and localised solutions. We cannot ignore the problem any longer simply because we have some means, though thinly spread for some, enabling us live for another day. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 July 2019. Continue reading →