Unemployed graduates in KwaZulu-Natal are pinning their hopes on the budget speech that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will deliver on Wednesday.
The country is currently experiencing high unemployment and slow economic growth.
According to Stats SA, the unemployment rate decreased by 1.4 percent to 32.1 percent in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the second quarter.
According to Stats SA, the number of unemployed people in South Africa increased from 5,2 million to 8 million in a period of ten years between 2014 and 2024.
A 26-year-old medical doctor, Kenneth Sithole, has become one of hundreds of unemployed doctors in the province.
Sithole from rural Mkhuze in northern KwaZulu-Natal completed his community service last year and says he is struggling to find a job.
He says becoming a doctor is his passion as he wants to help South Africans, especially those in rural communities.
“It’s quite frustrating to find ourselves sitting at home with really nothing concrete to say maybe tomorrow there’s chance that we will get employed, we are ready to be deployed back home, we are ready to be deployed there is a need for doctors because of the end of the day those people sitting in the rural areas are the ones you find that at times are in need of at healthcare services.”
Last year, unemployed doctors took to the streets in protest over what they call a healthcare crisis.
The South African Medical Association Trade Union submitted a list of 825 unemployed medical doctors to the department.
“We do expect that there is going to be a plan in terms of availing more funds towards the healthcare system. Because this is the third year that doctors actually had to strike for job opportunities, and all these three times, they say there’s not enough funding and not enough budget available to actually find more posts,” Sithole explains.
Authorities have blamed fiscal constraints for the lack of employment for hundreds of young professionals. These young graduates have called on Godongwana to allocate more funds to address unemployment.
Hopes for the budget
Unemployed graduates in KwaZulu-Natal are voicing their expectations for economic relief.
One unemployed graduate says, “I hope the minister announces more learnerships so we can gain practical experience. That way, we can build our CVs and approach companies with confidence. These opportunities would also ease our financial burdens – we wouldn’t have to rely on our parents for everything, even after earning degrees.”
Another graduate adds, “We need to hear about increased funding for higher education and programs that empower graduates. The budget should support projects that equip us with skills for self-employment or entrepreneurship. That’s how we’ll tackle unemployment in the long run.“
Business Unity South Africa believes South Africa needs to reform education, develop skills, and create targeted employment programs to address graduate unemployment.
They say a collaboration between the government, private sector, and civil society is needed to address this crisis.
