MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Youth employment opportunity centres aim to find jobs and curb Northern Areas gangsterism

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Dear Editor

South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis is worst in the Eastern Cape and in the crime-ridden Northern Areas of Gqeberha. This distressing reality is driving young people to join the gangs that are murdering our residents and their children.

The consequence of government failures is a deepening unemployment crisis where the youth are hardest hit, with 7 out every 10 young persons aged 15 to 24 unable to get jobs. The Eastern Cape’s unemployment rate reached 41.9% in the fourth quarter of 2023. When you include discouraged work seekers, the expanded rate topped 47.1%.

Being employed remains the best solution to save the youth of the Northern Areas from a life of gangsterism and crime.

The young people in Nelson Mandela Bay are unemployed, due to in large part not having the financial means to search and apply for jobs.

In October last year the DA launched an opportunity centre initiative at ward offices in the Northern Areas where young people can access internet services, get help with compiling and printing CVs, and get assistance with applications for jobs that are available to them.

Today I was joined by PE Northern Areas Constituency Leader, Yusuf Cassim MPL, DA Shadow Minister of Small Business Development, Jan de Villiers MP, DA Federal Student Organisation Leader, Liam Jacobs, and DA EC Provincial Spokesperson, Cllr Georgina Faldtman, in conducting an oversight inspection at one of these opportunity centres in the Chatty Community Hall.

[download pictures here, here, here and here]

The DA will now be looking to roll this programme out to other communities in the Metro.

At the 29 May National and Provincial Elections citizens can vote in a DA government that will rescue SA and the unemployed youth of Nelson Mandela Bay by creating 2 million new jobs.

Regards

Andrew Whitfield MP
DA EC Provincial Leader

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