FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunbathing in a Jobless Economy: Youth Capital Responds to Mantashe
Cape Town, South Africa – 12 January 2026
Youth Capital is deeply concerned about the recent remarks made by ANC National Chair and Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe. His argument on youth unemployment reflects a misleading understanding of the crisis facing young people and highlights how disconnected he is from the lived experiences of millions of young people actively seeking work in an economy that excludes them.
In an interview with the SABC, Minister Mantashe suggested that unemployed young people are “basking in the sun” and expect the government to “catch fish for them,” arguing that they lack initiative and should not expect state assistance in finding work. Youth Capital Project Lead, Buhlebethu Magwaza, raised concerns that the Minister’s framing shifts responsibility away from a broken labour market and places blame on young people navigating an economy that produces too few opportunities.
Many young people, according to Stats SA, come from grant-dependent households and face barriers that make finding work difficult. Youth unemployment currently stands at 44.6% among 15–34-year-olds, rising above 60% when discouraged jobseekers are included. “Behind these figures are young people who are actively applying for jobs, trying to access training and searching for opportunities,” said Magwaza. Youth Capital’s engagements with young people across the country, show that the real barrier is not a lack of motivation, but a lack of accessible and supported pathways into work and learning.
Minister Mantashe’s comparison to his own entry into the labour market ignores the vastly different conditions young people face today; including slow economic growth, shrinking entry-level hiring, and the collapse of reliable school-to-work pathways. “Young people are not competing on a level playing field, they are navigating a system that is structurally stacked against them. Young people do not need lectures about initiative, they need an economy that creates opportunities, a post-school system that supports transitions, and a government that takes youth exclusion seriously,” said Magwaza. At a time when thousands of school-leavers are navigating the uncertain transition into further study or the job market, such comments risk stigmatising and discouraging young people already facing steep barriers.
Tackling youth unemployment requires a solution-driven stance that invests in post-school pathways, work-based learning, and youth-targeted job creation, and recognises young people as catalysts for growth rather than burdens on the state. South Africa will not solve its unemployment crisis by blaming young people, it needs leadership that builds bridges between young people and opportunity.
ENDS
For media enquiries and interview requests:
Murphy Nganga – Communications Lead, Youth Capital
Email: murphy@youthcapital.co.za
Mobile: 073 9874061