ANC MP Fasiha Hassan has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to treat youth unemployment as a national emergency, implementing decisive measures beyond rhetoric. Addressing Parliament, Hassan stressed the need for a wartime approach – mobilizing every department, public entity, municipality, and private company with targets, timelines, and consequences.
“Here is the demand from us as young people. Treat youth unemployment like a national emergency, not with speeches, but with state power, with a wartime approach that mobilises every single department, every single public entity, municipality, and every private company in this country – with targets, timelines, and consequences. We are done with an economy of extraction. There can be no license without beneficiation, no tenders without youth jobs, and no incentives without training and decent work” Hassan said.
Meanwhile, EFF MP Sihle Lonzi staged a symbolic protest, handing the President a box of CVs representing millions of unemployed young South Africans. “Mr. President, these are just a few CVs covering tasks in our communities, but millions of young people remain unemployed. From now on, we will deliver CVs to the Union Buildings, Parliament, and government offices every day, and send them to your official emails until the struggle of joblessness is taken seriously” Lonzi said.
The EFF plans to mobilize youth to submit CVs daily until government addresses the crisis.
