Cyril Ramaphosa calls for new youth employment strategies as South Africans question his promises

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a shift in strategy to address South Africa’s persistent youth unemployment crisis, acknowledging that current efforts have not yielded the necessary results. Speaking at the SA National Leadership Convening on Youth Employment in Sandton, the President emphasized that the country cannot continue to rely on traditional methods to solve a problem that has reached critical levels.

Despite the many efforts we continue to make, far too many young people remain unemployed. We must be prepared to do things differently and challenge our established practices.

The President’s remarks come amid rising public frustration, as official statistics show the youth unemployment rate climbing to 47.4% in the second quarter of 2026. While the government has implemented initiatives such as the Presidential Employment Stimulus and the SA Youth network, critics and political organizations have increasingly questioned the efficacy of these programs, with some calling for more radical interventions.

Ramaphosa urged the private sector to play a more active role, specifically requesting that employers remove experience requirements that often act as barriers for entry-level job seekers. He highlighted the need for a collaborative approach between government and business to scale up successful models and create sustainable opportunities in sectors such as tourism, agriculture, and the green economy.

We must now bring that same spirit of cooperation, urgency and determination to the challenge of youth unemployment.

As the government faces pressure to deliver on its promises, the President stressed that the focus must move beyond the formulation of strategies toward concrete implementation. He called on business leaders to identify practical opportunities within their industries to integrate more young people into the workforce, framing the issue not just as an economic challenge, but as a fundamental social crisis for the nation.