NCED’ULUNTU COMMUNITY ORGANISATION
“OPENING NEW PATHS TO THE SOCIALLY AND ECOMINICALLY EXCLUDED”
South Africa's unemployment rate jumps to new record high
Job seekers stand outside a construction site looking for work this is the struggle many South Africans endure every day. With the South African economy hitting all time low during the Covid 19 pandemic and the yearly raising of inflation rate
s many South Africans go to bed hungry. Finding work is a struggle as many people living in far marginalised and economically excluded areas in South Africa. Many South Africans have even stopped looking for work because of the costs involved in doing so. A CV will cost about R15 to R20 Rands and that is just a CV without the copies of other documents needed to secure a job. The process of applying for a job has gone to be considered a gamble. There are costs involved if you are to apply for a job and one must take this into account before applying for any kind of job. The Costs for 1 job application:
CV – R20
Certified copies (ID, Qualifications)
Internet Cafe or Transport fees
All those costs are too much when there is no one working in the family at that moment and that is the reason so many people end up being discouraged to look for work. South Africa’s unemployment rate jumped to a record high in the las quarter of 2020, as the economy was further battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistics South Africa showed the unemployment rate stood at 32.5% in the October-December 2020 quarter, meaning 7.2 million people were unemployed, up from 30.8% in the previous three months. The figure was the highest since the survey began in 2008.
“We are seeing that the proportion of people of working age, versus the proportion of those that are employed, is widening, meaning the market is not creating sufficient jobs to absorb enough (people),” Statistician General Risenga Maluleke told a news conference. South Africa, which has the continent’s highest rate of COVID-19 infections, was in recession before it recorded its first coronavirus infection in March 2020 and has long suffered from extremely high levels of unemployment. According to an expanded definition of unemployment that includes those discouraged from seeking work, 42.6% of the labour force was without work in the fourth quarter of 2020, amounting to 11.1 million people, Stats SA data showed. Compared to a year ago, total employment fell by 1.4 million people, while the number of people who were not economically active rose by 1.5 million, the agency said. There are many debates as to what causes such a high unemployment rate but among those is that people are not computer literate when they enter the job market making it difficult for them to get the jobs they want and need. Many South Africa encounter a computer for the first time only when they leave high school at work or at a tertiary institution, for many, this is also a hindrance for them being accepted into tertiary institutions or even getting jobs. A research study by South Africa's Department of Basic Education in 2008 revealed that over 90% of schools had no computers whatsoever for students to learn computer literacy from. A disturbing number considering that the world has shifted into the knowledge economy as we also get Afrika ready to benefit from the fourth industrial revolution. Despite South Africa's Department of Basic Education offering two Computer Science related subjects in high school, namely Computer Applications Technology (CAT) and Information Technology (IT), very few students annually sit down to write these exams in their final year of high school as the subjects are not offered at their schools due to a lack of computers. This is where the Nced’Uluntu Computer centres Project by Nced’Uluntu Community Organisation believes it can step in to help. Computer centre(s)
Computer centre initiative that makes information and communication technology (ICT) more accessible to communities throughout South Africa. These communities are often marginalised and economically excluded, due to their limited access to information sources and modes of communication. What is more, the resources available to them are often out of date. Nced’Uluntu Community Organisation aims to create opportunities for social change and economic growth by making state-of-the-art Computer centres more widely available in poor communities. The Nced’Uluntu Community Organisation wants to establish Computer centres across the marginalised and economically excluded poor communities of South Africa. These Computer centres will be managed by community forums. The Centres provide each local community with access to computers and the internet, which they can use for a wide variety of purposes. School projects, job, school and university applications, internet banking, SARS e-filing and CV creation and socialising are just a few examples. We want to establish these computer centres in poor communities they will provide access to opportunities, skills and information. Thousands of people will be able to come and complete accredited computer skills programmes. Through improved ICT availability, Nced’Uluntu Community Organisation is opening doors to better education, employment and business opportunities, fuelling socio-economic development in communities where it is most needed. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
We hope to see a South African population that is changing with time when it comes to technology. We want to see a South Africa where people are not socially and economically excluded because of their background. We want to create active citizens that that can contribute to the economy of South Africa. We want to create citizens that are not afraid to use technology and compete in the job market. For more information contact: Contact number:
Phumzile Tyulu 083 598 2706
