President Cyril Ramaphosa Rubbishes Claims That South Africa’s Government Has Done Nothing After Apartheid
- President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government has been trying to end poverty and unemployment post-apartheid
- He said "It’s not true that the glass is empty” while addressing the Black Business Council summit dinner
- Ramaphosa said having a good understanding of the way the economy functions can resolve the unemployment issue
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GAUTENG - President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government has been working hard to end poverty in the country during its 28 years of democracy. He was addressing attendees at the annual Black Business Council summit dinner at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand when he said the glass is not empty.
Ramaphosa attributed the high levels of unemployment to the 2008 economic crisis and said that the government has been trying to create jobs on an ongoing basis. He said thousands of job applicants come in every year and the country has not been able to create as many jobs.
Source: Getty Images
During his address, the president said another factor that played a major part in the high levels of unemployment was the deindustrialisation of the country. Ramaphosa said by having a good understanding of the way the economy functions and by working together, the unemployment issue could be resolved, TimesLIVE reported.
He added that South Africa plans to empower women and confront other challenges that were left behind by apartheid. Ramaphosa said issues such as the state capture, governance failures, the Covid-19 pandemic, the July unrest, and the recent floods need to be addressed.
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South Africa’s unemployment rate stands at 35.3% which is at a record high. According to SABC News, the age group between 15 and 24 years old is the most impacted.
South Africans not buying it
Citizens took to social media to show their disdain for government’s promises:
@Zazajamaldien16 said:
“School kids still cross rivers to attend school, health facilities have collapsed, crime has escalated to its worse form, the bucket system is still in use, and the factory has collapsed in former homelands. The quality of education is the very poor and poor quality of RDP houses.”
@MorenaZwekwati wrote:
“ANC has got plenty to show after 28 years. Where shall we start? Your own sewerage running past your own house? Or marking ANC territory by renaming failed towns? Or donating money to Cuba? Check the scorecard FrogBoiler. You're running a failed state dude. Compliments of the ANC.”
@Nompucu33267012 posted:
“It's true they showed us flames looting everything driving our country to drain telling us that glass is not full there's no glass at all not even the empty one you took everything.”
@MichelleJacobsJ added:
“The glass has been stolen by the government.”
Operation Dudula demands jobs for unemployed young graduates and plans to assist with rebuilding KZN
In a related matter, Briefly News also reported Operation Dudula visited KwaZulu-Natal where it plans to tackle youth unemployment in the province on Monday 16 May. Members of the movement also plan to deal with the aftermath of the recent floods in the area.
A group of young people associated with Operation Dudula offered to assist the affected communities to rebuild. However, the biggest concern for the movement is to secure jobs for unemployed South African youth rather than companies outsourcing employees from other countries.
Deputy chairperson of Operation Dudula Dan Radebe said construction and building professionals are volunteering their services to the government and communities to assist with reconstruction. He said the youth offered their services despite being overlooked for job opportunities. Radebe claims that in professions such as teaching and nursing foreign nationals are prioritized before South Africans, TimesLIVE reported.
Source: Briefly News
