Durban — KwaZulu-Natal Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi has launched the Unemployed Agricultural Graduate Programme and called on the agricultural sector to spearhead efforts to reduce the unemployment rate among youth with agricultural qualifications.
Sithole-Moloi launched the Unemployed Agricultural Graduate Programme at Ntathakusa Citrus Farm in Eshowe, northern KZN, on Friday where she met graduates who are already placed in the workforce following the intervention of the programme.
“We all know how our young people struggle in the South African labour market. The official overall unemployment rate in the 4th quarter of 2021 was 35.3%. This rate was 46.3% among young people aged 15-34 years.
“This implies that almost one in every two young people in the labour force did not have a job in the last quarter of 2021,” Sithole-Moloi said.
She said young people account for 59.5% of the total number of unemployed persons in South Africa.
The MEC said it was of concern that the youth, those aged between 15 and 24 years, are more vulnerable in the labour market with an unemployment rate of more than 63%.
The Unemployment Agricultural Graduate portal is part of the department’s interventions in efforts to rescue the youth from worrying unemployment figures.
“We, as a department, want to ensure that this portal becomes a more valuable tool/network for opportunities and information to unemployed graduates, even linking them with sector role players towards employability within the entire agricultural value chain,” Sithole-Moloi said.
She said the department is hard at work to change the portal into a key tool in empowering young agriculturalists towards entrepreneurship and employability in the agricultural sector.
Ntathakusa Citrus Farm owner Sibusiso Gumede said the programme is quite helpful in adding value to the farm.
Two unemployed graduates are mentored on the farm.
“It helps a lot because these young graduates are people who are energetic and willing to work. The youth get valuable practical experience and they get the chance to be employable once they complete the programme.
“I have noticed that in the first year of mentorship they are usually not clued up about how the farm operates. It is the second year when they show signs of progress and knowledge. Unfortunately, that is the final year of the programme. I wish the programme could be extended to three years,” Gumede said.
Programme beneficiary Siyabonga Mhlongo said when he arrived on the farm he had no knowledge of how a citrus farm operates but after receiving mentorship he feels that he is ready to work on his own farm.
“I would like to get a farm where I can work on my own after having acquired experience in this farm. This is a very important programme and it helps us a lot.
“We also appreciate the stipend we receive under the programme. I only need to familiarise myself with the farm payroll system so that it would be easy when I’m carrying on on my own to deal with employees,” Mhlongo said.
The department revealed that it was currently planning a new programme which allows for graduates who have exited the on-farm placement programme to apply for opportunities to become incubators, instructors or coaches on DARD-funded projects or identified small to medium-scale enterprises.
Daily News