Even after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ambitious 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) highlighted continued efforts to drive inclusive economic growth and job creation, SA Job Seekers’ Movement says the promises fall short of addressing the unemployment crisis affecting millions of South Africans.

In his recent address, Ramaphosa pointed to signs of economic stabilisation and recovery, including consecutive quarters of GDP growth. He highlighted job creation as a top priority under the government of national unity, emphasising expansion of public employment programmes.

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The president noted that more than 2.5 million opportunities have been created through the presidential employment stimulus since its launch, primarily benefiting young people and women. However, for some, the president’s speech is ambitious, but falls short of making meaningful impact in the lives of Alex job seekers.
Mush Raletjena, founder of the SA Job Seekers Movement, said the same priority of driving inclusive growth and job creation was announced last year, but the unemployment rate is still too high. He said that his organisation continues to receive CVs daily from job seekers in desperate need of job opportunities.

Ramaphosa admitted that too many young people struggle to find their first job, and Raletjena agrees this is the case for some job seekers in Alexandra, especially those without any skills at all. He said that many young people lack adequate training or qualifications, with only a small proportion considered skilled. He said, in dealing with unemployment, the government needs to also prioritise rolling out targeted skills development programmes, to equip job seekers with little to no skills.

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Another priority area that the president touched on centres around poverty reduction and tackling the high cost of living. Raletjena said residents are battling with poverty and inequality as a result of high unemployment. He argued that if the government finally deals with unemployment, it would have dealt with all. “If you deal with unemployment, you have tackled poverty, not totally, but significantly, and inequality. We may not be equal in terms of class, but at the end of the day, we will all be fed.”

Raletjena acknowledged government initiatives like the presidential employment stimulus, but noted that more interventions are required to finally see promises translating into employment gains for young people.

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