WATCH | Town planning graduate turns traffic lights into job-hunting grounds

Instead of celebrating Youth Month with friends, 25-year-old Lungelo Ndaba stood at a Cape Town traffic light holding a sign bearing his qualifications and asking strangers for an opportunity to be employed.

The 25-year-old KwaZulu-Natal native who recently obtained a National Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning, said desperation, responsibility and the fear of returning home empty-handed pushed him to take an unconventional route.

The image of Ndaba standing at the robots quickly went viral on social media, prompting an outpouring of support and opening doors to potential opportunities.

But behind the viral moment is a young man carrying the weight of his family’s financial struggles.

“I don’t want to go back home because the situation there is not good. I just want to go back home with something. I’m living with my mother, and she’s the only one working. I also have a child and a sibling, so I must work hard to provide for them,” he said.

Ndaba graduated on April 15 this year but had already begun applying for jobs before receiving his qualification. “As soon as I completed my studies and saw my results, I started applying,” he said.

He said he also completed in-service training with Stellenbosch Local Municipality and hoped to continue building experience in local government.

His passion for town planning began years ago in high school when a local town planner visited his school.

“We only had one town planner there. He was both the manager and the town planner. One day, he came to our high school and told us about this course, and I was inspired.

“I come from a rural background, so it was an opportunity for me to, in future, be employed in my home municipality and try to assist where I can and also see how we can develop our town,” he said.

Policymakers should view Lungelo Ndaba as a symbol of a wider youth unemployment crisis.

—  Hendrick Makanete, Education specialist

His journey, however, was not straightforward, he said. After matriculating in 2019, he spent years trying to secure admission into university programmes.

In 2021, he got a spot at universtity and registered for a Bachelor of Arts degree. However, it was during Covid-19 and he didn’t get the experience he would have loved to get in acting and theatre.

So he dropped out. Eventually, in 2023, he registered towards a town planning qualification but now finds himself going to the streets with a board asking strangers at the traffic lights for a job.

“I had already planned it [going to the traffic lights] about two weeks before Youth Day. Rather than going out to celebrate, I decided to ask for help because I was here in Cape Town, away from my family.

“A lot of people were smiling, and others were saying, ‘It’s a shame in this country’. Some even offered me money, but I didn’t take it. I said, ‘Please take photos and circulate them, because all I wanted was an opportunity to grow as a town planner’,” he said.

Ndaba said he has received multiple messages and emails with people sharing opportunities.

“Since yesterday evening, I’ve been busy with applications, sending emails and making inquiries. It’s been a busy day. I decided I will continue this initiative until the end of the month,” he said.

“We understand that unemployment is very high, so at least if we have something and are willing to take any job, even if it’s small, we can start somewhere. I’m even willing to volunteer because many jobs require years of experience, and I’m willing to grow,” he said.

Education activist Hendrick Makanete said Ndaba’s story is a perfect example that a qualification is no longer a guarantee of employment.

“While access to higher education has expanded, the transition from graduation to work remains weak. Graduates are investing years in their education but often struggle to find opportunities, revealing a serious gap between education and employment,” he said.

Makanete said both economic growth and education reform are needed.

“Recruitment processes are often impersonal and highly automated. Many young people submit countless applications without feedback. The rise of graduates using traffic lights and social media to seek work reflects frustration with traditional hiring systems,” he said.

“Policymakers should view Lungelo Ndaba as a symbol of a wider youth unemployment crisis.”

Sowetan