South Africa is on the elections rush, it’s 30 years after democracy and youth in the country right now are experiencing major challenges that hinder their progress, namely; unemployment, and effective use of skillsets.

I attended a community dialogue recently. After honouring an invite from a good friend of mine. Who happens to be the Deputy President in her local ward council committee. Due to this reason, she is quite involved in rallying the importance of voting, and being an active participant towards change. She rallies her agenda not only to her community alone but to every young person that she comes across, including me. According to the age discrimination in South Africa, I no longer form part of the “youth” gap, but hey I am a sustainable development goals enthusiast. 

During the engaging dialogue, a question was posed by the facilitator, and it left me thinking about it when I got home.  The question asked was:  “What are you hoping will change for the youth after the elections”? 

I repeated the question under my breath at least twice, and there was a very loud echo in my head, with the question playing over and over.  I’m very passionate about sustainable cities and communities, along with quality education. Goals 11 &  4 of the world goals for 2030 respectively.

My hope for the youth is in three parts and detailed below. 

1) IMMENSE IN KNOWLEDGE & SKILL 

We are all witnessing the pandemic that is unemployment. If it’s not affecting you directly, it’s affecting a friend, a family member, a former colleague or a stranger who happens to open up to us in a quick and passing moment. With social media platforms, particularly Youtube, TikTok & Linkedin just to mention a few, there’s a lot of industry knowledge one can learn from.  It goes as far as career and skills development while they wait for employment. Majority of the youth spend a lot of hours online consuming content that won’t advance them in any way. Yet expect instant job placements or opportunities without necessarily being equipped and prepared.

2)EARNING WHILE YOU WAIT 

I cannot stress the importance of creating ways to earn while you seek for employment. There’s a notion going around that “We can’t all be entrepreneurs” maybe not holistically but we do need to earn a living. And judging by the status of the economy, and global shift we are forced to a) Earn additional streams of income b) Develop an entrepreneurial spirit, which enables the art of selling, networking, and equips us in developing will, patience and additional character-building traits. One would argue that there’s no Capital. To start you don’t need capital in my opinion, you need to take action! There are viable network marketing opportunities that don’t require capital to be activated. Dedicating two hours each day to improve one’s life can do wonders for your personal development. 

According to Stats SA, the official unemployment rate stands at 32.9 %, an increase of 0.8 of a percentage point in first quarter of 2024 (Q1: 2024) compared to the fourth quarter of 2023 (Q4: 2023). Source: SAnews.gov.za

In the famous words of author & entrepreneur, Banele Rewo – ‘Sell Something, NOMAYINI

3) HAVE A SOUND PLAN 

I encourage current students pursuing their qualifications with their respective institutions of higher learning to develop a sound plan for themselves and to prioritize their goals. The roadmap of advancing academically and not upskilling, and volunteer their expertise during their academic pursuits, and still expecting job placement post-graduation, we are witnessing that it’s a major challenge in South Africa right now and globally. Youth unemployment and unemployed graduates are one of the major challenges in South Africa right now. Goal setting and adopting good habits to realize your goals should be a standard commitment to everyone in pursuit of a better life. 

So what am I hoping changes for the youth after the election? 

I want the youth to realize that the Government won’t save them from their challenges, frustrations and sometimes financial burdens and lack. I encourage the youth to realize that they have a powerful voice. But in order to be heard they must have a portfolio of evidence showcasing the courses they have committed towards that foster change. I want them to realize that they are the only ones who can drive a positive narrative and outcome. And if they don’t dedicate their effort along with daily activities for the betterment of their lives, then we won’t experience much shift after the elections. I dare the youth to showcase the positive change through their efforts in meeting the Government halfway, for the next election. In the next local election, I want to witness a buzz from positive testimonials shared by the youth and people my age on the work they have done and contributed to making South Africa a better place.

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About the author:

Busiswa Lutshaba, based in Cape Town runs a consultancy boutique that helps small to medium-sized businesses with business support services. She is part of Active writing community, and she is a Sustainable Development Goals enthusiast.