Pretoria News reports that a large crowd of young people from Mamelodi, Nellmapius and Eersterust marched on Tuesday to the headquarters of Ford Motor Company and the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone to demand the employment of young people who resided in their communities.
The demonstration was organised and led by Tshwane Bahlali Dudula to encourage businesses to hire young people who were sitting with skills and qualifications in the townships and struggling to provide for themselves and their families. Organiser, Khutso Smesh Semetjane, said they targeted the two economic nodes because they wanted them to hire young people from neighbouring communities instead of people from far away. Semetjane was followed by a large wave of young people displaying qualifications like trade test certificates, curriculum vitaes and driving licences to indicate that they were also skilled and qualified to work but only needed an opportunity. One participant said: "Youth Day is coming on Thursday. Can these companies please remember us because we are the future. We will continue to push this agenda and also go to industrial areas like Waltloo Industrial Site where some firms have been hiring foreign nationals at the exclusion of South Africans." Semetjane said the movement was not associated to the Dudula movement led by Nhlanhla Lux. He explained that they had common interests to see young South Africans employed, although their approach differed.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by James Mahlokwane at Pretoria News
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