ANC Promises 10,000 Youth Opportunities, Mzansi Isn’t Convinced

• President Ramaphosa unveiled the pledge at the ANC's manifesto launch in Diepsloot on Sunday, 24 August 2026
• The ANC promised 10,000 apprenticeships, learnerships and graduate internships as part of a broader 1 million opportunities target
• South Africans online pushed back hard, questioning whether the promises would ever materialise

SOUTH AFRICA - The ANC has pledged to create 10,000 apprenticeships, learnerships, and graduate internships across the municipalities it governs, placing youth unemployment at the centre of its local government election campaign.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced at the party's manifesto launch in Diepsloot on Sunday, 24 August 2026. He framed the commitment as an urgent response to a youth unemployment rate that the party put at 33%, though figures from Stats SA show the situation is considerably worse. Among South Africans aged 15 to 34, unemployment currently sits at 45.8%.

ANC's broader youth employment target

The 10,000 opportunities form part of a much larger goal. The ANC has committed to delivering one million work, training and enterprise opportunities over the next five-year local government term, with young people identified as the primary beneficiaries of that effort.

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The party also outlined specific targets around inclusivity in municipal procurement and employment. It is pushing for young people to make up 20% of beneficiaries, women 40%, and people with disabilities 3%.

Beyond the numbers, the ANC said it intends to publish regular progress reports on manifesto implementation, positioning this as an accountability mechanism. The manifesto explicitly invites South Africans to hold the party to account for what it commits to, what it achieves and what it delivers.

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Mzansi questions the ANC's promises

South Africans on social media did not hold back, with many pointing to a long history of unfulfilled pledges:

@RamafaloMoses said:

"What a joke. So there will be 10,000 jobs available if they are voted? So they want to be voted first to ease 33% unemployment they created?"

@dimbaes wrote:

"The ANC said the government does not create jobs. Now that the election is upcoming, it says it will create jobs if people vote for it. Who's fooling who here?"

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@KhandaniM noted:

"Our unemployment requires 10m jobs, the ANC is scared of making meaningful changes. Our problem is that judges have more power than parliamentarians."

@JojoNqandela added:

"They are talking to children. What happens to the millions of jobs they promised?"

@KgotsoMotaungkg responded:

"We are still waiting for one million houses in Alex."

DA slams ANC's election promises

Briefly News reported that the Democratic Alliance has rejected the ANC's newly launched local government election manifesto, describing its municipal turnaround commitments as unconvincing and lacking credibility. The ANC unveiled its manifesto over the weekend ahead of the 4 November Local Government Elections, setting out plans to improve service delivery and stabilise struggling municipalities across the country. DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said voters were being asked to place their trust in the very party responsible for the deterioration of local government.

Source: Briefly News