BUILD One South Africa (Bosa) leader, Mmusi Maimane, has described youth unemployment as a “ticking time bomb waiting to implode at any moment” as at least 4,8 million young people are unemployed.
He said the number of people unemployed for a year or longer has almost doubled over the past 10 years, from 3,2 million in 2012 to 6,1 million in 2022.
He said in percentage terms it moved from 68,2 to 78,3%.
“If every young unemployed South African stood in a single file queue, with an average gap of 50 centimetres between them and the person in front, the queue would stretch almost 2 500 kilometres long.
"The queue would run from Johannesburg to Mombasa, Kenya - through Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania,” Maimane said.
He said in the build-up to Friday, 16 June, Bosa leadership and all structures across Mzansi will be mobilising in key communities affected by ongoing youth unemployment and service delivery failure.
He said they would activate youth in KZN, Western Cape and Gauteng listening to youth forums.
Maimane said Bosa has a plan to reduce youth employment through their 10 Big Ideas, which would be showcased through the nationwide tour.
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He said 47 years on from the 1976 Soweto Uprisings, the youth of today have a new struggle in fighting for jobs, skills and opportunities.
Maimane said long-term youth unemployment remains stagnant.
“As we approach Youth Day on Friday, 16 June, Build One South Africa has commenced a nationwide campaign to bring attention to our country’s most pressing challenge: stagnant youth unemployment,” he said.
Maimane said failing to create millions of new jobs for young people will have dire consequences, which the country may never recover from, socially and economically.
“It is now urgent,” said Maimane.
