File Picture: Independent Newspapers
By Sixolise Gcilishe
South Africans are forced to contend with the self-serving Government of National Unity (GNU) as a result of the shortsightedness and blatant disregard for the electorate by those who have chosen to partake in it. Where does this marriage of convenience in government leave the millions of unemployed people in this country?
The unemployment figures for the first quarter of 2024 paint a bleak picture of the economic landscape of the country as it sits at a heartwrenching 32.9% which is an increase of 0.9%. So even leading up to elections the economy was shedding jobs and the reason I describe the increase in unemployment as heart wrenching is because those are not just numbers, they represent people.
Ordinary people of this country who are shut out of the economy because, the government is failing dismally to create a conducive environment for business to thrive nor does it seem to have a concrete plan to create dignified employment through the creation and restructuring of state owned entities that will work for the benefit of South Africa and her people.
The unemployment rate is even higher when it comes to young people with the age group of 15–24 years where it’s currently above 50%. A clear indication of the failure of the government of the African National Congress (ANC) and little to no hope that the current GNU dynamic can remedy the situation without tapping into the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) 2024 election manifesto.
If this GNU is serious about the people of this country and changing lives then it will borrow from the detailed manifesto of the EFF in order to change lives. It’s evident that apart from awarding each other ministries and competing for the public’s attention on X, that there is no clear plan as to how the economy is going to be revitalised.
The EFF on the other hand believes in the professionalisation of government which will instantly boost confidence in the state and bring much needed dignity to public servants. In a third world economy like ours it is an indictment on our people for government not to prioritise employment through implementing progressive methods that will shield our people from exploitation and deliver dignified jobs.
Across the country there is a housing backlog that the tender system has failed to adequately address. Over an above this, the provision of decent shelter is a government imperative that should not be outsourced. The EFF believes that through the creation of a state owned housing construction company, the GNU government can decrease unemployment across all provinces.
Beneficiaries of EPWP can find permanent employment, receive benefits such as pension funds and more importantly begin to pay taxes. We are running an unsustainable country where tax contributors continue to shrink whilst the number of social grant beneficiaries continues to rise.
Through the creation of a state-owned road construction company, government can prioritise the increasingly dilapidating state of our roads whilst creating sustainable jobs. As a developing country we have capacity to invest in a state owned cement company as well. The shortsightedness of government as to ensure that South Africa takes its rightful place as manufacturers and producers in certain industries. We have sufficient mineral resources to compete with developed nations and supply other African countries yet the government is content with established entities and importing rather than developing this sector and creating jobs.
This can be remedied through the establishment of a state- owned mining company that will ensure that our people begin to benefit directly from the country’s mineral resources. Currently our resources benefit a select few individuals that are politically connected whilst shutting out the majority of the population.
The EFF urges the GNU to explore and establish a state-owned pharmaceutical company as well as a state-owned healthcare equipment company. We continue to lag behind our true potential as a nation when it comes to catering for skilled labour and the implications are unfortunately felt in previously disadvantaged communities where some of the country’s graduates are found roaming the streets because they are unemployed.
As the EFF we have already developed a blueprint through our manifesto of how to remedy unemployment and the GNU should implement such a blueprint as it possesses no tangible, implementable plan of how-to effectively deal with the country’s chronic unemployment.
“As the EFF we have already developed a blueprint through our manifesto of how to remedy unemployment.”
As a progressive organisation that is people centred and rooted in providing solutions for the myriad of challenges affecting poor South Africans, the EFF remains resolute that the answers to our unemployment crisis lies in our manifesto. This is why we want the GNU amongst other things to establish a food stocking company. Food security continues to threaten the possibility of a conducive lifestyle for many as millions of our people continue to live below the breadline. The establishment of a food stocking state-owned company will not only create jobs but through the regulation of basic foodstuff will ensure that as a country we begin to drastically reduce the number of people who go to bed hungry due to exorbitant food prices and lack of jobs.
The EFF through its commitment to improving the lives of ordinary South Africans has already developed a workable document that if implemented, can serve as a road map to effectively tackling unemployment by the directionless GNU.
The GNU collective will not be able to successfully curb unemployment as they are unimaginative and driven by positions as we have witnessed through the inflated executive. The only way that the GNU can deal with unemployment is through the adoption of EFF policies and strategies as laid out in our manifesto.
* Sixolise Gcilishe is the Head of Digital Communications and Stakeholder Relations in the office of the President and also the EFF Member of Parliament.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.