Murphy Nganga, Youth Capital Communication Lead
The 2026 State of the Nation Address confirmed a concerning trend: youth unemployment is acknowledged in rhetoric but not treated as a national crisis.
While President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined detailed plans, committees, timelines, and accountability measures across sectors such as energy, water, crime, infrastructure, and local government, none of this urgency extended to young people out of work.
South Africa faces over 9 million young people not in education, employment, or training, a structural emergency with long-term consequences for growth, social cohesion, and democratic stability.
Youth unemployment is not a side issue; it is the defining social and economic crisis of our time.
The disconnect between speech and reality was visible beyond the podium. Students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology protested outside after being evicted from temporary accommodation, yet their voices went unacknowledged.
Earlier pre-SONA engagements in Khayelitsha promised direct dialogue with the President; instead, the Deputy President attended. While meaningful, this absence reflected a broader pattern of delegation without ownership.
President Ramaphosa highlighted public employment programmes, citing 2.5 million cumulative opportunities created through the Presidential Employment Stimulus. Yet the only specific, time-bound youth placement mentioned was approximately 200,000 through the Youth Employment Service, far below what is required.
Ambitious economic recovery plans and support for small businesses were presented without youth-specific employment targets, skills-to-jobs pipelines, or measurable commitments. Similarly, the Social Relief of Distress Grant was “redesigned” in vague terms, offering little certainty for young people who depend on it.
Taken together, promises without presence, commitments without command, concern without consequence. Unless youth unemployment is treated with the same seriousness as other national crises, with clear targets, funding, timelines, and political ownership, talk of opportunity remains empty rhetoric.