Mantashe under fire over remarks on unemployment

By Patrick Makinita

Photo caption: Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe

Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe is facing criticism after comments on unemployment sparked public backlash and prompted calls for clarification from within the ANC.

Mantashe, who is also the ANC’s national chairperson, said the government could not be expected to find jobs for people and that citizens needed to be more active in seeking work.

The remarks were widely condemned as insensitive, with critics saying he shifted blame onto the unemployed in a country grappling with deep and persistent joblessness.

South Africa has an estimated 12.5 million unemployed people, with unemployment remaining a central political issue ahead of local government elections.

Mantashe defended his remarks by referring to his own experience.

“I am over 70 years old, and I had never in my entire life had the government looking for a job on my behalf. People expect the government to go and give them jobs. They do not look for jobs, and that must change. We must move out of being a passive society to becoming an active society,” said Mantashe.

Unemployed South Africans said the comments reflect a lack of solutions from the ruling party after years of economic stagnation and rising unemployment.

Tebogo Otlaadisa, a 48-year-old father of three from Groot Marico near Zeerust in the North West, said he has been searching for work since the age of 30.

“I’m the father of three children, two boys aged 12 and 14 and a girl aged 8. Their mother passed on in 2012, and I had to take care of them. It is difficult for me because I have been looking for a job, but there is no job. After Minister Mantashe’s remarks, I no longer have hope for the ruling party of the ANC. I hope these remarks serve as a wake-up call for South Africans, particularly the majority who are not exercising their voting rights and power. The ANC government is not the future of South Africa. They have misled and betrayed us for the last 31 years. How can the minister feel no shame to say this?” said Otlaadisa.

The controversy has also caused discomfort within the ANC.

Party secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said Mantashe needed to clarify his comments on youth unemployment.

“I spoke to the national chair. He says he is misquoted, and if he is misquoted, he must clarify himself about that misquotation because the media is saying the national chair has said that the youth are lazy. So that matter must be clarified. If it is not clarified, it will remain that the national chair has said that young people are lazy; they don’t apply for jobs. And that matter is not a joking matter; it’s a serious matter. Therefore, it must be clarified properly,” said Mbalula.

Mantashe later attempted to explain his remarks, saying he was encouraging activism and not labelling young people as lazy.

“I’m fighting young people here. They have accused me of saying they are lazy, and I deny that. That’s not what I said. I didn’t use the term ‘lazy. I was only making the point that we will only defeat unemployment if we are activists. We will defeat it. We must be activists,” he said.