Tunatazama - Community Monitors

Unemployment hitting sky rocket in Marikana by Takatso Tontsi (Marikana)

As defined in the previous report, unemployment is a phenomenon where people who are not working cannot find a job. The unemployment rate in the country eased to 24,1% in the fourth quarter of 2013,from a revise of 24,5% in the 3rd quarter as reported on the 11th February 2014 by Statistics South Africa. It’s an improvement of 0,4%.

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Unemployment in Marikana is still growing as more leaners have matriculated, graduated and dropped at many different schools. More people coming to Marikana looking for employment, at the mines of course.

 

I spoke to Steven Masika on the 19 May says he has always lived in Marikana, “I matriculated here, and went to the University of Johannesburg to study metallurgy, but I am still not employed. And I did a relevant course for working at a mine”. There are not enough opportunities like internships, programmes, and other means to give people skills and experience to work at mines, so getting a job as a graduate in mines around our community is really hard.

 

People depend on mines to hire them, especially the community members. Banks come here with people placed already. Only shops like jet, ShopRite, and others do hire locals, and there is no real future career at those shops.

 

“I stopped working at the mine so I can get my money and buy a taxi, so that I can make better money. Now my taxi is not working, it’s a problem getting it on line to work like others; many others are struggling like I am. I want to job hunt again” says a 65 years old Jabula Masilo. I spoke to him on the 20th of May at 12:51. This usually happens that people leave their jobs to see if other opportunities like business won’t work. Some do, some don’t, so they become unemployed.

 

I also spoke to Micheal Micheal on the 20 of May at 13:13. Who stated that he only came here to look for a job at the mines and has been struggling for long, and the strike is also a problem. “I came from Free-Sate to look for a job here, at a mine nowhere else. It’s been 9 months now.”

 

We also see strikes going on. Mines letting some workers go. Samancor had to let more that hundred workers leave because of a wild cat strike. More people unemployed. The growth of unemployment in Marikana is part of us.