DJ Zinhle has apologized following controversy over her remarks concerning youth unemployment in South Africa.
Footage from her interview with Radio 702 recently went viral on social media. In it, she stated, “One thing about South African youth is that they are not only unemployed; many of them are unemployable.
They lack the requisite skills. It bothers me how long it takes us to fill positions at Era. Just looking for the appropriate person for our shops. It takes longer than it should in a country with such high unemployment.”
The entrepreneur, who operates six shops in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo, faced criticism. Many interpreted her comments as suggesting that South African youth are lazy.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Zinhle clarified her stance and apologised to those offended. She wrote, “I apologise if I offended anyone. I wasn’t attacking the youth. As a small-business owner, I employ and train people, but this doesn’t start to solve the problems we face as South African youth.”
Zinhle continued, “I could do more with support from the government. How do we upskill our youth so they are ready for employment? Are we in denial that we are not getting the jobs we want because we do not have the skills required? Are we in denial that not all people are getting the education they need to be employable?”
Addressing critics, she said, “You guys are speaking from a one-sided view of graduates who have matric, a diploma, and so on and can’t get jobs. I’m not saying they don’t need assistance, they do, but we need to think about the youth holistically so we can challenge the people in power. This is not because they are lazy, it is because there are no opportunities. I hope you forgive me for offending you, but this was not my intention. I will continue with my small businesses to do my part in training and upskilling the youth where I can.”
Reactions on X were mixed. One user defended her, stating, “You don’t need to apologise – everything you said is true. Hiring South African youth is challenging, and one of the contributing factors is their attitude. We have a serious problem with readiness and willingness to learn.”
Another user offered a different perspective, noting, “Our education system renders everyone unemployable until we can demonstrate employability when we have passed the probationary period. The onus is on employers to provide on-the-job specific training during probation, as well as continuous development during employment.”
Amid the debate, one commenter highlighted the disparity, saying, “We have unemployed engineers and doctors in this country. There is no way we can struggle to fill retail vacancies. By the way, we have overqualified people working in retail.”
The conversation around Zinhle’s comments has sparked broader discussions about the state of education and employment in South Africa, highlighting the complex challenges faced by the nation’s youth.
Maybe another thing I need to explain is that I was not saying that the youth is lazy, not at all.
I was saying that we don’t have the skills we need because we don’t have the opportunities we need to learn the skills.
Education isn’t accessible to all, that’s not because…
— #ERAbyDJZinhle #ZeeNation (@DJZinhle) May 19, 2024
