Jobless youth voice frustration as South Africans vote

In South Africa, millions of citizens have voted in local government elections, while five million jobless young people expressed frustration over their lack of opportunities. Many have spent years applying for jobs, only to face rejection, despite possessing qualifications and experience. A recent Statistics South Africa report revealed that unemployment among young people aged 15-34 surged to 47.4% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 45.8%.

The number of jobless young individuals rose to five million, while youth employment dropped by 40,000 to 5.6 million. Among those aged 15-24, unemployment was at 62.8%. In the Vaal region, 35-year-old Palesa Maloka has been searching for employment for three years after losing her retail job in 2023. Despite her experience, she secured only one job interview from numerous applications and was ultimately rejected.

Maloka applied for various positions, including general worker roles and learnerships, even taking unpaid bricklaying training to acquire new skills. However, her desperation led her to an alleged recruitment scam where she was asked to pay R500 for a fake paramedic job. Maloka now provides for her three children amid rising food and household expenses, feeling that qualifications and experience hold little weight in today's job market.

Bambi Sithole, another unemployed voter, shared similar concerns about the scarcity of opportunities. Sithole also expressed frustration over the perceived favoritism towards those with connections or the ability to pay for jobs. Nationally, 8.5 million South Africans were unemployed in the second quarter of 2026, with an official unemployment rate of 33.6%.

About 3.8 million people aged 15-24 were neither working nor studying or undergoing training. The decline of major industries in the Vaal region has left thousands jobless, prompting ANC mayor Hassan Mako and DA mayoral candidate Kingsol Chabalala to outline their plans to address unemployment. Mako emphasized attracting investment and expanding industrial operations, including the Snowflake project which would create 1,200 permanent jobs.

Chabalala proposed supporting youth-owned businesses, improving infrastructure, and investing in agriculture and tourism. Maloka hopes the next administration will provide job opportunities for the unemployed South Africans.