Bonang: SA needs to address unemployment

Business and media mogul Bonang Matheba has called on the government and the private sector to help fight unemployment in SA.

The star has travelled around the world and seen a lot of the social issues facing different countries.

She believes SA is doing a lot of things right but wants the country to prioritise the issue of unemployment.

“It is a long, winding cycle. Everyone goes to school but what happens after school? For me, if you can give people jobs it takes away the feelings of helplessness and unworthiness. The people who struggle the most are the youth. They should be busy. Fixing the issue of unemployment will help us with so many other problems.”  

She aims to do her bit by starting an entertainment management company to hire and protect female creatives.

“It is like Roc Nation management. I am going to manage artists and creatives. When it comes to personal branding, I have mastered it. Women in the industry are not protected.

“I want to change the way artists are managed and the culture of celebrity in SA. We need to improve our standards. How celebs are treated and managed. If we want our entertainment industry to be better, things behind the scenes need to be better.”

She said that too often, young bright talent was wasted or not given a chance because the individuals were not educated on how to survive in the industry.

“Nobody is educating them. There are young black people who are super talented, who come from disadvantaged backgrounds but know nothing about tax, contracts or legal jargon. All they want to do is sing or act or paint. So we need to take those young girls who find themselves in unfortunate positions and educate them.”