Some graduates under the Mpumalanga Department of Education’s Ephraim Mogale Bursary Scheme marched to the Mpumalanga Provincial Government today, September 20, demanding employment.

The graduates, who studied medicine, engineering and veterinary sciences in Russia, said they have been without jobs since they came back more than a year ago, while some of the medical graduates have not been able to register to practise in South Africa under the Health Professionals Council of South Africa.

One of the medical graduates, Dr Lucky Mhlongo, said they are facing the consequences of trusting a government who failed them continuously since 2016.

“For over seven years, we have asked the government to help us to write the examination to qualify as doctors in South Africa, and to prepare job placements as promised when we went abroad to study. We are frustrated, because we are from underprivileged households and our families hoped we would come back to uplift them,” he said.

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The graduates handed over the memorandum to four departments of the Mpumalanga government; that of health, education, public works and the Office of the Premier. They were given three to seven days to respond.

Video: The memorandum that was read by one of the representatives, Dr Karabo Mdluli.

The memo was received by the deputy director of the Department of Health, Dr Nombuso Memela, and the Department of Education’s, Senzangakhona Mkhwanazi.