Members of Parliament have intensified calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to prioritise youth unemployment, urging him to declare it a national emergency.
The renewed pressure came during the debate on the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), where lawmakers argued that young South Africans continue to face limited economic opportunities and rising joblessness.
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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) sharply criticised remarks by some African National Congress (ANC) leaders who suggested that young people were not doing enough to secure employment. The issue dominated the second day of debate in Parliament, coinciding with the release of fresh labour market data.
Stats SA Data Highlights Worsening Youth Unemployment Crisis
The debate unfolded as Statistics South Africa published its Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), revealing that youth unemployment remains far above the national average of 31.4%.
Several parties argued that the President’s address did not adequately confront the scale of the crisis. MPs warned that without decisive intervention, unemployment among young people would continue to deepen socio-economic inequalities.
ANC Member of Parliament Fasiha Hassan called on Ramaphosa to move beyond rhetoric and take urgent action.
“But President Ramaphosa, I must now speak plainly as a young member of Parliament here. So, here is the demand from us as young people, treat youth unemployment like a national emergency. Not with speeches, but with State power.”
EFF Accuses Government of Blaming the Youth
The Economic Freedom Fighters rejected claims that young people lack initiative in seeking work. EFF MP Sihle Lonzi criticised both the President and certain Cabinet ministers for what he described as misplaced accusations.
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“It is a lie that they sit at home and bask under the sun like Minister Gwede Mantashe suggests. They wake up every morning, they ask their family for the last cent. They must choose between buying bread and buying a bus ticket.”
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The party maintained that structural economic barriers, not laziness, are driving youth unemployment.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to respond to the concerns raised during the two-day debate when he addresses Parliament on Thursday afternoon.
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