Cyril Ramaphosa Calls for New Youth Employment Strategies As South Africans Question His Promises

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africa to fundamentally change its approach to youth unemployment, warning that repeating past strategies will not produce different results.

Speaking at the SA National Leadership Convening on Youth Employment on 22 October, Ramaphosa said the country must be willing to challenge entrenched practices and dismantle unnecessary barriers to work.

We cannot solve the challenge of youth unemployment simply by doing more of what we have always done.

The President’s address comes as South Africa’s youth unemployment rate for the 15–24 age group climbed to 62.8% in the second quarter of 2026. Despite the government’s ongoing focus on public employment programmes and structural reforms, many South Africans have expressed skepticism, questioning whether the President’s latest calls for new strategies will translate into meaningful, tangible action for the millions of unemployed young people.