The scale of last week’s demonstration through Sandton was itself a statement.
The turnout, according to marcher Norman Phalatse, was enough evidence that youth unemployment has grown from a peripheral social concern into an issue businesses operating in the precinct can no longer afford to treat as external to their interests.

Almost a hundred young job seekers from Alexandra undertook a door-to-door campaign through Sandton’s business district on July 28, targeting companies clustered around Melrose Arch. The demonstration drew attention to a disparity that has become increasingly noticeable: a large, unemployed youth population residing within walking distance of one of the country’s most affluent commercial nodes.

Read more: ‘No silver bullet’ for youth unemployment

Phalatse said that they wanted to send the message that businesses have an obligation to invest in skills development within Alexandra, given that a significant proportion of its young residents are unskilled, and that even those who are employed are frequently confined to low-skilled, low-wage positions. “We need them to come to the party and to invest in the community,” he said.

His concerns extend beyond immediate job access. Phalatse cautioned that prolonged exclusion from economic opportunity risks fostering competition and division within the community itself, as residents are forced to contend for an insufficient pool of jobs. “We don’t want that situation; all of us must get employed so that we can also change the situation we are in,” he said.

Also read: Yes fights youth unemployment in Alex

The demonstration was organised by the Alexandra SA Job Seekers movement, which has previously attempted to engage Sandton businesses through more conventional channels. According to spokesperson Mthokozisi Khambule, earlier discussions with several companies yielded assurances of continued dialogue that ultimately went unfulfilled.

“In our last engagements, we said we are looking for opportunities and nothing else,” Khambule said, noting that subsequent communication had been redirected to legal representatives rather than company decision-makers. “But we ended up engaging with their lawyers, and he told us we should not come. But we are here.”

Khambule said the movement’s objective was to restore a constructive relationship with businesses benefiting from Sandton’s sustained construction activity. He also raised allegations that certain companies operating construction sites in the area were employing undocumented foreign nationals in preference to local workers, claims he attributed to information shared by community members working as SMMEs on those sites. He indicated the movement intends to continue raising these concerns irrespective of legal resistance from implicated companies.

The campaign yielded one concrete outcome as organisers confirmed that a construction firm operating in the area had committed to active recruitment and agreed to visit the movement’s offices to collect CVs.

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