Tevin Muthusamy.
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WITH the alarming rise in youth unemployment in South Africa, several youth shared fears, frustrations, and hopes for a better future.
Tevin Muthusamy, 28, of Reservoir Hills said the latest Statistics SA data was a punch in the gut.
“The stats confirm that our recovery is leaving the majority behind. While the news cycles often focus on market stability, the reality on the ground is a growing crisis of dignity. The loss of 345,000 jobs in a single quarter, primarily in construction and social services, suggests that the engines of community growth are stalling,” he said.
“Most damning is the youth unemployment rate. We are not just facing a temporary slump. We are witnessing the systemic exclusion of the next generation. We can no longer afford to treat these figures as seasonal fluctuations. A third of our nation is out of work, and the expanded rate including those who have simply given up, is even more haunting.
“Without radical shifts to support small businesses and labour-intensive sectors, the South African Dream will remain out of reach for those who need it most – 32.7% isn't a statistic; it is a heartbeat away from a breaking point,” said Muthusamy.
Wandile Ngcobo.
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Wandile Ngcobo, 18, from Phoenix said: “I have finished school, and the unemployment stats makes me scared. Finding a job is difficult. I did not go to university because I felt it would delay me getting a job. In hindsight, that was useless because either way I am unemployed. If nothing is done now to curb the unemployment rate, we will see more people on the streets. I hope this does not result in a repeat of the 2021 riots due to the desperation of the people,” said Ngcobo.
Rircado Pillay.
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Rircado Pillay, 32, a teacher from Phoenix, who is also the chairperson of Phoenix SAPS Youth Forum and youth ambassador for Phoenix Child Welfare, said: “We are not just seeing numbers rise, we are watching hope get deferred for an entire generation. Working with youth in Phoenix, I see the pattern every week.”
He said matriculants who passed with distinction, young people who completed skills programmes, graduates who had sent out 200 and more CVs, had heard nothing back from job applications.
“The frustration is not laziness. It is the gap between what our youth are preparing for and what the economy is offering right now.
“Three things stand out from the ground level. Skills mismatch is real. Many young people are trained for jobs that no longer exist or aren’t hiring locally. We need stronger links between schools, Tvet colleges, and employers in Phoenix and Durban North, so training matches real vacancies. Opportunity is concentrated with most opportunities requiring transport, data, and networks that youth in our communities don’t have.
“A job interview in Durban CBD might as well be in another province if you cannot afford the taxi fare. Entrepreneurship is not optional anymore. Waiting for formal employment is not working,” he said.
“We need to normalise and support youth-led micro-businesses but that means access to seed funding, mentorship, and a system that does not bury them in red tape before they start. Unemployment is not just an economic issue for our youths. It feeds into substance abuse, crime, and hopelessness among youth I work with daily. But I also see the talent and drive here. What’s missing is not potential. It is access, exposure, and sustained support. If we do not act now, we risk losing a generation to discouragement. If we do, Phoenix youth can become job creators, not just job seekers,” added Pillay.