WATCH: Election on employment: ‘For young people, the space is almost closed’

Ahead of the Local Government Elections, the young adults of the Northern Cape and beyond are being warned not to sink into political despair.

With the clutter of social issues facing every corner of the country, politicians risk overlooking the nuances as they attempt to paint one grand picture for potential voters.

On the steps of Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley, a graduate abandoned by the labour market highlights what is swaying her as she decides on which side of the fence to fall.

“We need to focus on the unemployment rate, especially with qualified youth in this country. It’s a bit problematic.

“Black don’t have places to stay. There is a lot of racial politics. There is a lot of corruption, and black people are suffering. I really don’t know who to vote for,” media graduate Lethabo Makweya told The Citizen.

Two lecturers at the Northern Cape’s premier educational hub recently sat down with The Citizen to discuss the challenges facing the youth in the province.

The gap in lived realities between the political elites and the youth was cited as the primary driver of youth apathy, with political leaders urged to go beyond platitudes.

Limited youth opportunity

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Head of SPUs public administration department, Dr Sandiso Mahlala, and humanities lecturer, Dr Simbarashe Gukurume, explained that youth unhappiness stemmed from the unemployment crisis.

The lack of opportunity creates an environment where substance abuse, unwanted pregnancies, and “transactional relationships” are common.

A lack of employment becomes an inescapable pit, where even searching for a job becomes unaffordable.

“This affects the youth that come from remote areas, the issue of them having even transport to go and submit their CVs, the issue of slow internet in rural areas and in townships,” Mahlala told The Citizen.

Gukurume added that older generations were staying employed longer, limiting the number of young professionals entering the labour market.

“For young people, I think the space is almost foreclosed, and it’s very difficult for them to really find opportunities to be at the table and take up leadership positions.

“They will say, ‘I do not have experience’. How am I supposed to gain experience if I’m not given an opportunity?

“You will find the internships can last a year or two years, but after that, there is no permanence,” Gukurume told The Citizen.

‘They do not know what the youth wants’

As of StatsSA’s August’s quarterly labour statistics, the percentage of under 35s not in employment, education or training sat at 45.4%, while 74.8% of those aged between 15 and 24 were deemed to be inactive members of the labour force.

The academics said this had created a “disillusionment” that the youth are directing at the older generations and the current political system.

“I think we have a group of young people who are very politically aware, but there’s a breakdown in trust with the old political elite.

“After 1994, there have been a lot of promises each election season. They promise a lot, but in terms of delivery, there’s very little that’s delivered,” Gukurume said.

This extended to the political “theatrics” of commissions of inquiry and employment initiatives that yield limited results.

“No one of higher power really gets arrested. You will find that it’s the low-hanging fruit. How do we trust people where we know that there’s a lot of corruption they’ve done?” Mahlala asked.

“The old politicians are monopolising the political space and then pushing out young people,” Gukurume added.

Dr Simbarashe Gukurume and Dr Sandiso Mahlala at Sol Plaatje University. Picture: Shaun Holland / The Citizen

Global shifts

The WEF’s annual survey of executives stated that 54% of respondents expect large language models and artificial intelligence to displace existing jobs.

However, only 12% believed these technologies would have a positive impact on wages, while 44% of executives expect an increase in profits across sectors.

“The adoption of these technologies promises systemic gains in productivity, but also raises critical questions about economic inclusion, values, trust and resilience,” the WEF’s 2026 white paper on jobs states.

SPU are trying to instil a culture of self-sufficiency that not only makes the youth more employable, but equips them to become the employer.

“You will find that in our modules we are trying to embed entrepreneurship all the time so that our youth does not only now get dependent on finding work,” said Gukurume.

‘Vote in their numbers’

This technological shift was also widening the gap between the youth and the country’s leadership, as young minds had access to international ideas.

“We have young people who are exposed to other political ideologies and other political structures that work because of the interconnectedness of the world.

“They look at what’s happening in other countries, and they realise that young people are actually labelled as future leaders,” said Gukurume.

Mahlala and Gukurume reminded the youth of their “civic duty”, asking them to get to their voting station on 4 November.

“I think, you know, in many African countries, including South Africa, in terms of demography and demographics, the youth constitute the majority.

“If they can vote in their numbers, for whoever political leaders that they want to see that they think might transform their fortunes,” said Gukurume.

“For them staying indoors and not going out there to vote, it is not really assisting because they are the future leaders.

“The country will be left to them, so they need to start fighting for what they believe in,” Mahlala concluded.