DA to offer voluntary national service

WHEN I speak to unemployed South Africans, I hear the all-too-common stories of pain, frustration and desperation at the lack of access to opportunities.

There is a heavy burden of hopelessness that is forced upon millions struggling to make a living and care for their families. This is especially applicable to poor young blacks.

The reality is if you are a poor young black South African, you have the cards stacked against you more than anyone else. Growing up in poverty you are exposed to an environment constraining you, pulling you back, almost snatching opportunity away from you at every turn. This creates a downhill spiral, likely to be passed on to another generation.

This situation has worsened under the ANC which has shown that growing the economy and creating jobs are not a priority for it. It has deliberately limited access to jobs by reserving the jobs that exist for the few and politically connected.

This is not what we were promised in 1994. That’s why we need a new government to finish the job. The DA will build a growing and fairer economy that creates jobs that are available to all, not just the well-connected.

And we’re not just saying it, we’ve already done it. Over the past year the DA-governed Western Cape created more than half of all the new jobs in South Africa.

If the DA is elected to the national government, we will put creating fair access to real and long-term jobs at the forefront of our efforts. We see entrepreneurs as the real job-creators, not the government.

We will introduce a voluntary national service, offering one year of income and skills development for school leavers. This will give school leavers valuable work experience and it will go a long way to empowering them and the economy.

GEORDIN HILL-LEWIS MP, DA Team