Youth joblessness a ‘ticking time bomb’

Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Galxcoc) has warned the government to take bold steps to address the rising youth unemployment, not just in Alex but nationally.

Describing it as ‘a dangerously ticking time bomb’, Galxcoc president Mpho Motsumi told Alex News that the recent wave of looting in the country would be a picnic in the park if the youth unemployment was not addressed with the urgency it deserved.

“I am pleading with our government to address this ticking time bomb because once it explodes, it will consume all of us. We are faced with a situation in this country that is unattainable and demands all of us to take steps to address it before it’s too late,” he said.

“We need to take bold steps – not tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year – but right now as I speak in this interview. If we fail to do this right now, we shall pay a hefty price. This youth unemployment is a bubble waiting to burst but albeit with disastrous consequences.

“We need to get these young people into vocational colleges to acquire industry skills that can help them find work or start their own small businesses such as handyman work, repair technicians of various gadgets and appliances, car mechanics, vehicle body repairers, spray painters, small scale farmers and other needs-driven SMMEs within their communities.”

The other gateway out of this conundrum, Motsumi said, was to bring all the activities required to register companies or small business under one roof. “It’s so frustrating to want to establish an SMME and you are sent from pillar to post, from one department to the other and from one entity to another.

“The youth of today are not as patient as we were those years ago and time to them is as good as money, they are not prepared to waste either of the two.

“I have called time and again to government bring all the entities in the registration of new companies, financing, and other advice and regulatory agencies such as Seda, GEP, IDC, CIPC and Sars, into a one-stop centre such as Galxcoc. We need to centralise these facilities as part of an enabling environment for SMMEs.”

Motsumi also called for the full digitalisation of all these facilities in line with the 4th Industrial Revolution. “Government needs to take the lead and the private sector will follow suit and it must stop talking and start to action the talk.

“Let’s start enabling the youth to play a meaningful role in the economic life of this country and tackle inequality, poverty and unemployment. We may have saved Alex Mall from the marauding looters but next time we may not be able to.”