Khayelitsha job-seekers, among them parents battling to afford food for their children expressed their disappointment at the lack of job creation in the country.
This came after a job fair was held at Khayelitsha Stadium by the Labour Department on Friday October 19.
Led by Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant, the initiative was held in response to the recent Presidential Jobs Summit led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The aim of the fair, one of a number of interventions by the department to alleviate the crisis of unemployment, was to build a comprehensive database of work-seekers.
At the fair, some job-seekers told Vukani they would only be relieved when jobs were created while parents complained that the day should have offered more than an opportunity to register on a job-seekers’ database.
Nceba Heshula from Harare in Khayelitsha described the day as a“waste of time”, saying he had spent money to get to the event only to be told to register on the database.
“We have the provincial database but they also come with their own. This looks more political than reality. I wasted money only to listen to something that has been preached and preached provincially. We will never get work,” he said.
Another residents Liliswa Sibewu of Makhaza agreed, adding that people were “hungry for jobs not politicking”.
“Look at all these people that are here today. This is evidence that there is lack of work. Most of us have done these placements and database things and are not helping us. All we want is work not lip service,” she said.
However, others commended the government for taking services to them.
They felt the government might come up with a solution to the lack of job opportunities. Nontembeko Siyali said she was grateful to get information she would not have got somewhere else. “The government is trying to address the issue of jobs and is coming to us. We need to be grateful for that,” she told Vukani.
Teboho Thejane, department spokesperson, said government was doing all it could to create opportunities for employment.