Hundreds queue but only few are employed
More than 500 hopeful drivers responded to the company's Facebook advertisement, however, many were left disappointed as the employer was only looking for 45 people.
Hundreds of unemployed men braved the chilly weather on Monday and Tuesday morning to queue for job opportunities at a transport company on the KaBokweni/Plaston Road.
Lowvelder learned that skilled drivers from across the province and as far KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces, spent nights camping at the premises for an opportunity to put food on the table for their families. 
Jeremiah Dlamini (40) said he had been unemployed since June. “The company I was working for closed down due to the lockdown and I have not been working since then. To make matters worse, the company did not register its employees with UIF, so life has been tough and I hope to be lucky here,” he said.
Read: Mpumalanga has second highest unemployment rate in SA Another jobseeker, Sipho Mavimbela, said he left his home in Nkomazi a few weeks ago and has been trying to queue at other transport companies with no luck. “The lockdown really had a negative effect on the lives of many South Africans. I lost my job around July and received a retrenchment payout, but all of that is gone now. “I couldn’t even register for the government’s unemployment fund of R350 and now I need every cent I can to make ends meet,” he said.
Also read: Scores of job losses likely at local Glencore mines; smelters According to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the second quarter, that was published on September 29, between April to June 2020, 134 000 jobs were lost in Mpumalanga. The mining sector shed 2 000 jobs, manufacturing 8 000, utilities 7 000, construction 31 000, trade 16 000, finance 15 000, community and social services shed the most with 57 000 jobs, and private households shed more than 25 000 jobs.
Read: Informal sector in dire situation, yet contributes billions to economy In a media statement, Bosman Grobler, the DA MPL and spokesperson for finance and economic development, said, “This expanded the unemployment rate from 43,9 to 45,4 per cent. This has been attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic and a stagnant economy. It is extremely concerning as it affects the livelihoods of our people and severely hampers their ability to put food on the table.” Grobler called on the Mpumalanga government to implement the DA’s five-point jobs plan.
These points are invest in integrated energy, transport and ICT infrastructure for job creation, give more people the education and skills they need, radically reform the labour regime to support job creation, provide direct incentives for job creation, and to create a nation of entrepreneurs by making it easier for South Africans to start and grow their own small businesses. The DA also called on the provincial government to target vulnerable communities and ensure that they are prioritised when it comes to Covid-19 relief efforts.
