Mashatile calls on SA to spur economic inclusion

By Johnathan Paoli

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has called for national unity to address what he terms a “moral emergency” facing South Africa’s youth – the crisis of unemployment, economic exclusion and diminishing hope.

He told a Youth Day commemoration at the North-West University Rag Farm Stadium in Potchefstroom that while the 1976 Soweto uprising helped lay the foundation for the freedoms enjoyed today, the struggle for socio-economic justice was far from over.

“The reality is that many young people in South Africa are not living the future they hoped for. They are confronted by high levels of unemployment, inequality and a lack of access to opportunities, especially in the digital world,” he said.

Citing recent data from Statistics South Africa, the deputy president painted a stark picture.

Youth aged 15–34 make up more than half of South Africa’s working-age population, approximately 20.9 million, yet the majority remain unemployed.

Unemployment