African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) President Collen Malatji has threatened to take their fight against unemployment to the Union Buildings if their demands are not met.
Malatji made the comments in Sandton today where the ANCYL marched to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for economic freedom and unemployment.
Malatji says President Cyril Ramaphosa must heed the youth’s plea and speedily resolve the structure of the country’s economy.
“If by December there’s no clear direction we have resolved that I’m going to install myself as the President of this country,” says Malatji.
ANCYL President addresses members of the youth league outside JSE:
ANCYL Treasurer General, Zwelo Masilela, says that government and the private sector should provide a solution to end unemployment, before the youth take matters into their own hands.
Masilela says that government should look at re-industrializing the South African economy to end the unemployment crisis.
“And we’ve been very patient. And we believe that this is the last march. The next cause of action can never be announced. It will be a rupture, and we may not be able to lead it. Young people will allow them to lead themselves because this revolution now, they’ve been too patient with it. And as the Youth League, we are standing in front as the leadership. And we are saying, the leadership of government, business and everybody needs to provide solutions and end unemployment.”
Meanwhile, young people have been clear on their demands that they will accept nothing less than economic emancipation and job creation from government and the private sector.
South Africa’s employment rate currently stands at 33.5%, with the youth making up at least 60% of that number.
“We are unemployed and this unemployment is causing most of the social ills, being teenage pregnancy and crime. The few young people who are working in the township suffer from being victims of crime. So we are asking JSC to accept the memorandum. From receiving young people because our goal as young people is to make sure that in South Africa all of us are employed because the unemployment rate of South Africa is very high. So what I’m saying is because we are going to knock in every one of the private sectors. The private sector must then come and employ young people of South Africa,” says an ANCYL member.
ANCYL March to JSE | ‘This is a reminder to government about promises of job creation’: Dr Levy Ndou:
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