The Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has started a bold initiative, dubbed S’thesha Waya Waya, to lower the rate of youth unemployment in the province. The name of the program means “the future way” in English. More than 6,000 young South Africans have benefited from this tremendous job creation project, with the vast majority finding work in the transport sector.
The premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, spearheaded the effort to unveil S’thesha Waya Waya at Durban’s Curries Fountain. Thousands of young people, dressed in their brand-new uniforms and eager to begin their new occupations, turned out for the celebration, making a colorful display of early achievement.
The youth unemployment rate in South Africa is 63.3%, according to the International Labour Organisation, which is much higher than the global average of 13.0%. Dube-Ncube has made the creation of new job opportunities a top priority for her administration and has pledged to tackle this issue head-on.
“The high youth unemployment rate is an emergency that must be addressed immediately.”The Premier declared during the event, “As was made clear in our State of the Province Address, we are completely dedicated to the fight against unemployment.” To boost employment, combat inequity, and lessen poverty in the province, “S’thesha Waya Waya will be a significant cog in our War Room on Job Creation.”
One of the most crucial parts of the S’thesha Waya Waya plan is the Vukayibambe Routine Road Maintenance Programme. A large-scale effort to rebuild the infrastructure that has been destroyed due to recent flooding has begun with the training of four thousand young people in South Africa in road maintenance as part of this program.
The Member of the Executive Committee for Transport, Community Safety, and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka, was interviewed specifically for this reason, and he shared his enthusiasm for the progress that has been made. He remarked, “This program is about more than just creating jobs.” It’s about equipping our youth with talents that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. We applaud their efforts to better the roads in their communities and think highly of them.
Many programs have been launched to help young people find work, including the National Youth Services, the Road Safety Ambassadors, the Walking Bus for school road safety crossing, the Expanded Public Works Programme, the Social Crime Prevention Programme, the Graduate Interns, and the State Law Graduates.
Dube-Ncube acknowledged the Jobs War Room’s success by saying, “Up to this point, the Jobs War Room has facilitated over 500,000 job opportunities across various sectors in KwaZulu-Natal via the Expanded Public Works Programme.” In addition, R10 million has been set aside from the budgets of each division, except those in charge of providing direct customer service, to be used solely for the creation of new jobs.
To further ensure the transparency and efficiency of the job market, the government will also launch an Integrated Jobs Portal. Thanks to this consolidated hub, job-seekers will have an easier time learning about and applying to open positions across the government.
At the event, the South African Police Service and the eThekwini Metro Police joined the recently employed youth workers. This was an industry-wide gathering. A strong turnout of supporters for the S’thesha Waya Waya project served as further evidence of the government’s commitment to lowering the youth unemployment rate. It would appear that the future is very bright for the children of KwaZulu-Natal.
About The Author:
Lunga Dlamini is a journalist specializing in African start-ups and entrepreneurship. Lunga’s fascination with innovative business models and emerging market trends guides his writing. He has an MBA and has been with Africa Nova since its inception.
