Education for What?

Ben Ntoloane argues government’s GEAR policy is responsible for the high unemployment rate among the youth and reflects on the need to organise among unemployed youth.

Recently the South African Unemployed Youths Forum (SAUYF) held a workshop to deepen its understanding of the nature, extent, causes and effects of unemployment and to develop organisational approaches to the problems facing unemployed young people across the country.

The workshop was held in Sebokeng, with activists from APF affiliates in the Vaal region, representatives from community organisations, individuals and pastors sharing experiences of living with unemployment. Participants were surprised by how similar their experiences were, the common factor being the role (or lack thereof) that the government was playing.

Participants felt strongly that the government’s Growth, Employment & Redistribution (GEAR) policy was a direct attack on the poor and was the cause of rising unemployment. Since its introduction in 1996, we have seen massive retrenchments of our parents and family, we have been told that the opportunities available to youths are casual positions and informal sector initiatives. Very little has been done to provide opportunities for training young people in the skills required by the new global economy.

Comrades also agreed that the privatisation of basic services such as water and electricity forms part of the general orientation of the South African state of consolidating the global neo-liberal capitalist agenda, with a growing emphasis on reducing the responsibility of the State towards its citizens. With that comes a shift in the responsibility of the State to spearhead issues of the redress of previous injustices. This, comrades agreed, means that poor and marginalised people have no other recourse except the hope that the market will magically resolve and improve their conditions.

The rising rate of unemployment and general decline of the standards of living in poor communities was assessed within the context of trade liberalisation, labour flexibility, export driven growth, the language and methods promoted by GEAR and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). Comrades identified the state’s approach as not only capitalist but also as an imperialist agenda for the rest of Africa.

There were however, differences among comrades around what strategies are to be adopted in response to the government approach. Some were in favour of a radical critique that could be expressed by the methods we apply. Others felt that some of the criticism could sabotage any chances of a positive government response to demands made to it. Everyone agreed that the neo-liberal project applied by the government was not the way to address the problems faced by communities.

Whilst there was general agreement on the importance of youth and the unemployed being involved in issues of local government, especially the upcoming local government elections, there was also an awareness that such involvement is limited given the centralised nature of decision-making. The voices of the unemployed are likely to be thrown at the margins. Comrades thought it would be a good thing to use opportunities such as those provided by local government elections to build partnerships and solidarity with other groups fighting similar struggles.

The unemployment rate of youths stands at a shocking 70%. This makes it even more urgent for youth formations to build collective responses and apply more pressure on government to provide empowerment programmes that are targeted specifically at youths.

Comrades representing the South African Unemployed Youth Forum further highlighted the importance of youth formations to align themselves with the emerging social movements such as the Anti Privatisation Forum because the problem of youth unemployment cannot be dealt with in isolation as external to struggles around basic services and a critique of the macro-economic framework adopted by the state.

The workshop contributed to deepening comrades’ understanding of the concept of neo- liberalism and the role of the South African state in pursuing an imperialist project over the rest of the African continent.

FORWARD WITH THE STRUGGLES OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTHS!

Ben Ntoloane is a member of the South African Unemployed Youth Forum (SAUYF).