LUNCEDO MTWENTWE: Banking on our hustle and create jobs
Funders must move with the times to help SMEs and make inroads into unemployment
18 May 2025 - 09:43
South Africa is hurtling deeper into an unemployment crisis that shows no signs of easing. Our official unemployment rate, which is already one of the highest in the world, has climbed yet again, rising from 31.9% in late 2024 to a staggering 32.9% in the first quarter of this year.
These statistics are a stark indicator of systemic failure. But while the formal economy falters, a quiet revolution is stirring. Across the country, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are doing what the system cannot: creating jobs, hope, and momentum. If we are serious about breaking the cycle of unemployment (and we should be), it is time we stopped sidelining our SMEs and instead started banking on their hustle...
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