By: Saneliso Mlambo
The ANC Youth League has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare youth unemployment a national disaster. The league made the call on August 11 after Q2 2026 figures showed unemployment worsening.
ANC Youth League Secretary-General Tsakani Shiviti issued the demand over South Africa’s youth jobs crisis.
Statistics South Africa reported youth unemployment at 47.4% among people aged 15–34. The rate increased by 1.5 percentage points during the second quarter. The latest figures mean five million young South Africans are unemployed.
The number of unemployed young people increased by 264,000 during the quarter. Youth employment also declined by 40,000 to 5.6 million people.
The ANC Youth League wants government to treat the crisis as a national emergency. It called for stronger measures to create sustainable employment for young South Africans.
The league also wants greater support for youth owned businesses and enterprises. It called for stronger links between education, skills development and employment opportunities.
The organisation further urged the private sector to contribute more towards youth job creation. The youth league says the scale of unemployment requires coordinated action across sectors.
The latest figures also show worsening unemployment across South Africa’s wider labour market. The overall unemployment rate increased from 32.7% to 33.6% during Q2 2026. South Africa recorded about 8.5 million unemployed people during the quarter.
The ANC Youth League says young people cannot remain excluded from economic opportunities. It wants the government to respond with measures matching the scale of the crisis.