Graduates queue for grants instead of jobs
Cosatu labels SA a nanny state as unemployed youth numbers swell
NEWS that more than 700 000 graduates and young people have joined the social development queues in search of the R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD) has sent shock waves across the country.
Cosatu said it is alarmed by reports that more than 700 000 graduates have applied for the SRD grant since the start of this year, adding that South Africa had become a “nanny state” where young people are given social grants instead of job opportunities.
Last week, media reports indicated that more and more unemployed graduates were applying for grants instead of accessing job opportunities.
This comes two weeks after more than 1 000 unemployed medical doctors affiliated with the SA Medical Association (Sama) took to the streets of Pretoria, demanding jobs in the country’s clinics and hospitals.
Last week, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu revealed that the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) had received more than 13.5 million applications for the SRD grant at the end of January, and more than 716 000 tertiary graduates had applied. Zulu said between 7.4 million and 7.8 million applications were approved every month.
Speaking to The Star, Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said this was the biggest scandal in a country with the highest youth unemployment rate, which stands at more than 60%.
Latest statistics have put the youth unemployment rate at 64.18%. The rate refers to the share of the workforce aged 15-24 that is currently not working but actively searching for work.
“This is a scandal that should bring shame to policy and decision-makers. This shows that the policy choices have badly let down these young people, who are watching their dreams pass them by,” Pamla said.
Tomorrow, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will table his Budget Speech, outlining key areas for the country’s economic recovery.
Cosatu hopes he will have something tangible to give the country’s more than 10 million unemployed youth.
“The upcoming Budget Speech can make a difference if it allocates money for the Presidential Employment Programme to absorb a million young people. They also need to finalise the establishment of a state bank so that young people can get affordable funding to start businesses. We need a people-centred budget that caters to rural and township economies,” Pamla said.
Dr Cedric Sihlangu, provincial chairperson of Sama, said in the absence of meaningful jobs for graduates across sectors, the R350 grant presented an income to millions of jobless graduates.
“In the absence of jobs, it is not surprising that you find more and more graduates applying for social grants. It is a worrying trend as graduates, even in highly skilled sectors of the economy such as doctors, are found sitting at home without jobs, while the State of the Nation Address speaks prettily about the need to employ young people and graduates,” Sihlangu said.
Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said more than 60% of grant recipients were young people.
“In terms of our analysis, we have picked up that the majority of the people who have applied for the SRD grants are young people and mostly female. The good thing is that if we have the information, (and) we will be able to share that with our sister departments to ensure that other government departments understand the situation and are able to assist them,” he said.
The Institute for Economic Justice has approved the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his Sona, indicating that the SRD grant will become a permanent feature in the lives of South Africa’s poor, including graduates.
“Making SRD permanent puts South Africa on course to become a world leader in dignified, evidence-based social protection. The combination of basic income, the national minimum wage and public services could massively raise the living standards of (our) poorest,” the institute said.
THE community of Nomzamo in Orlando East has vowed to take the law into their own hands if the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court grants bail to the six accused of the tavern massacre in the early hours of July last year.
The tavern bloodbath resulted in the deaths of 16 people, including teenagers, when unknown gunmen opened fire inside the KwaMdlalose tavern.
Scores of community members carrying machetes and other traditional weapons marched outside the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court while the accused appeared in court yesterday.
Speaking to the court community representative and father of one of the slain, Zwelibanzi Nzimade said the community was still angry and would not hesitate to take the matters into their hands should bail be granted to any of the suspects in custody.
“I can safely confirm, without fear or favour, that we as families and the community will not hesitate to take the matter into our own hands should the magistrate grant any of the accused bail. Anyone can agree that the people do not deserve bail.
“If you were there on the day of the incident and after seeing our children being murdered like dogs, you would agree that they do not deserve bail.
“Should they be given bail, we will not hesitate to kill them with our bare hands,” Nzimande told the court.
Outside court, members of the community continued to march and sing Struggle songs as they awaited the outcome of the bail hearing.
A senior Hawks police officer linked to the Nomzamo tavern massacre was granted bail in his absence by the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
This is as community members from Nomzamo protested outside the court against the bail application of accused number three who was not in court as he was reportedly in hospital.