Less moaning and more meaningful action‚ please

13 August 2018 - 08:00 By justice malala
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Unemployed graduates protest as part of the #HireAGraduate campaign. Politicians moan about the lack of jobs but say nothing about making the hard decisions that need to be made to turn the tide.
Unemployed graduates protest as part of the #HireAGraduate campaign. Politicians moan about the lack of jobs but say nothing about making the hard decisions that need to be made to turn the tide.
Image: Eugene Coetzee

Why is SA so dull‚ so poor‚ at growing its economy and creating jobs?

Why is it that‚ quarter after quarter now for a decade‚ the release of the unemployment figures plunges one into a major depression?

Last month it was the unemployment figures. This month it is women empowerment and the non-stop deluge of stories of women abuse across the country. No one asks: why haven’t we seen real change in the status of women in general and why haven’t we seen a dramatic drop in the number of violent‚ murderous attacks on women? Why do things remain the same?

Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that we like a big speech‚ a nice function with a huge marquee and loads of tenders for chairs covered in white cotton‚ but no real policy change when it comes to these and other issues.

We moan about the lack of jobs – listen to every politician in parliament‚ including those of the governing party – but say nothing about making the hard decisions that need to be made to turn the tide.

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