When we talk about youth unemployment in South Africa, I think one of the biggest things we need to talk about is opportunity. It is easy to tell young people to study, get a qualification and find a job. But the reality is that getting your first opportunity can be one of the hardest parts. Many organisations want someone with experience, but as a young person, where are you supposed to get that experience if nobody is willing to give you a chance? I understand this beca

Right now, 3.4 million young South Africans are not in employment, education or training. At the National Education Summit 2026, the Minister of Higher Education and Training put it plainly: the country's real crisis is not unemployment on its own, it is a crisis of pathways. He also flagged that the economy needs about 30,000 new artisans every year, yet the system is currently producing only around 20,000. Numbers like that can feel abstract until you sit across from the yo

South Africa’s unemployment crisis remains one of the most pressing socio-economic challenges of our time. With youth unemployment persistently high, the conversation is no longer about whether we need intervention—but rather how intentional, strategic, and future-focused those interventions are. At its core, unemployment in South Africa is not just a numbers issue; it is a skills mismatch crisis, a systemic inequality challenge, and a call for transformation in how we prepar