Elderly Soweto residents slam ANC's handling of youth unemployment

JOHANNESBURG - Some of Soweto's elderly residents have slammed the African National Congress (ANC)-led government over its handling of youth unemployment.

They have been raising frustrations with political leaders present at 702’s final election town hall series at Diepkloof's multi-purpose centre on Tuesday.

The community members say unemployment among young people is one of the causes of crime in Soweto.

An elderly Soweto resident and local businesswoman, Nomsa Leso, has partially attributed the unemployment crisis in Soweto to a lack of political will.

"My challenge is that we have no resources in Diepkloof. I’ve tried to speak to some of the political parties but no one is interested in our businesses."

Another Diepkloof community member, Keketso Mogotlane, echoed this view.

"Crime is actually caused by the idle minds of our kids who are educated but unemployed, especially the boy children. We complain about gangsterism and crime but we don’t go to the root cause."

ANC NEC member Mzwandile Masina is set to respond to concerns raised by community members.

The country’s unemployment rate has ticked up again, trapping millions of South Africans in poverty.

The official unemployment rate rose to 32.9% in the first quarter of the year, up from the 32.1% seen in the previous quarter.