When Nosisipho Tatsi left the Eastern Cape for Mpumalanga, she carried more than just a suitcase – she brought along dreams of changing her life.
In 2023, she completed her Master’s in Agricultural Extension at the University of Mpumalanga, in Mbombela, but she has had no luck finding work since.
“I only worked on a six-month contract, doing admin and farm visits at the provincial agriculture department,” she said. “Now I wake up every day with a qualification but without any career to speak of. It’s a recurring shock.”
Tatsi, 27, is one of millions of young South Africans caught between achievement and despair in a country where joblessness remains stubbornly high.
Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for Q1 2025 shows that employment declined by 291 000, taking the number of unemployed people from 16.8-million to 17.1-million.
Yet, Tatsi has not given up. She has chosen to settle in Mbombela with her partner, fellow graduate Siphesihle Shabalala, who holds an honours degree in development studies, also from UMP. “There’s nothing as frustrating as financial struggle,” said Tatsi. “Love is the only solace that keeps us sane in a world doing its best to drive graduates crazy.”
Shabalala, 33, determined to shift their situation, has founded the Unemployed and Not Ashamed Youth Movement, which connects graduates keen to build businesses instead of watching their qualifications gather dust.
“People assume we’re lazy, and that creates shame,” said Shabalala, a self-published author and freelance MC.
“Social media makes it worse – those who’ve made it flaunt their success, while we hide from questions like ‘where do you work’?”
Shabalala hopes to collaborate with other graduates and pitch ideas to companies and public entities.
“We are hungry,” he said, “but we should not be helpless.”
The survey further painted a bleak picture for the youth.
“Young people aged between 15 and 34 make up roughly 50,2% of South Africa’s working-age population, translating to about 20.9 million individuals. Within this cohort, the 15-24 age group – representing around 10.3-million individuals – faces the highest barriers to entering the workforce, with unemployment figures significantly outpacing that of older youth,” Stats SA noted.
The youth unemployment rate shot from 44.6% in the last quarter of 2024 to 46.1% in the first quarter of this year, in what trade union federation Saftu labelled “a national catastrophe”.
The government said in response to the latest figures that “this is a reminder of the ongoing challenges in the labour market. The seventh administration said it is firmly focused on addressing these challenges by prioritising inclusive economic growth, job creation, and structural reform.
But this is cold comfort for unemployed graduates like Zenzile Dlamini, 24, from GaRakgoatha in Zebediela, Limpopo.
He graduated with a degree in media studies from the University of Limpopo, and he has been knocking on one door to another hunting for a job with no luck.
“Since obtaining my qualification, I have struggled to find employment, and the impact on my life has been deeply discouraging.
“I had envisioned stepping into adulthood with independence, building a career, supporting myself, and eventually starting a family,” a dejected Dlamini told Sunday World.
“Instead, I find myself still living with my parents, dependent on them for basic needs, something that weighs heavily on my sense of self-worth and dignity.”
Dlamini’s family of four, comprising himself, two siblings and his unemployed mother, all survive on a social grant.
“Being unemployed has strained my relationships. It’s difficult to maintain friendships or romantic connections when I constantly feel inadequate or ashamed of my circumstances.
“Social events become a reminder of how far behind I am, and I often isolate myself to avoid uncomfortable conversations,” he said.
“My mental health has taken a hit, and though I try to stay positive, it’s exhausting.
“Watching peers move forward while I remain stagnant leaves me feeling stuck and depressed,” Dlamini said.
Zolani Diya from Bizana in the Eastern Cape holds an Advanced Diploma in Public Management, a National Diploma in Local Government Finance, and a Computer Literacy Certificate, but he has been jobless since he graduated a few years ago.
“Life is tough, my family are looking up to me for financial support, but here I am sitting with my qualifications and unemployed. Last year we lost our father and there is no money for a cleansing ceremony,” Diya said, indicating that he is willing to take any job anywhere in the world, even if it’s an internship.
Sanelisiwe Zondi from Durban graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal with a Bachelor of Social Sciences in 2018, but she only got a government internship in 2022 and it lapsed in 2023. Since then she has been unemployed.
“I now depend on my brother for everything, even minor things like data to apply for jobs. I also have a twin sister who is permanently employed by a municipality and I sometimes ask her. My dignity as an unemployed graduate is long gone. I am very sad,” she said.
