The 2021 local government elections have come and gone with political parties still trying to negotiate coalitions. With the low turnout to the poling stations, it would not be surprising that people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) did not participate in the elections because there is nothing for them except empty promises.
The term NEET, since its inception in United Kingdom policy documents, has been embraced by many policy makers and scholars throughout the world. It refers to levels of economic and social exclusion among groups of young people usually known to be the population between the ages of 15 and 24 years. However, because of social realities experienced in recent years, the term has been used to embrace even people above the age of 24 years, especially in SA.
Research has shown that many people who are NEET, experience high levels of frustration, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety and feel hopeless about themselves, hence most didn’t even bother to participate in elections. The number of South Africans aged between 15 and 24 years who were not in education, employment, or training was recorded by Stats SA at 32.4% of this age group (3.3 million) in the first quarter of 2021.
When the age cohort is expanded from 15 to 34 years, the number of people in this category increases to 43.6% (20.4 million people) as recorded for the first quarter of 2021. We should also bear in mind that the population in SA is made of 37% of young people.
This in itself is a ticking time bomb as was the case during the looting spree in some parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces in July. One would wonder where such huge crowd came from. Indeed, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. If these NEET youth can be kept busy, temptation can be avoided. For the NEET, time goes by slowly as they have nothing to do. This also creates future problems as a young idler becomes an old beggar. Indeed, if you don’t work, you won’t have any money when you are old except to wait for Sassa grants which are not sustainable themselves.
The challenges of unemployment, poverty, poor living conditions and the digital divide remain ever present in SA. The intolerable growth in the high rate of youth unemployment continues to frustrate the government.
The statistical trends confirm that young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years are the most vulnerable in the national labour force. Most people who find themselves in poverty is because they are NEET, and this may drive them to commit crimes to survive.
Such people, according to Stats SA, are mostly from poor black communities and lack financial support. The life situations of most people from underdeveloped areas, such as rural areas and urban townships in SA, make it difficult for them to access economic-related opportunities.
The main contributing factors are caused by making little headway with their lives, the lack of a second chance to redeem themselves, and that fewer opportunities seem available to them. In addition, many people who are NEET feel that they are trapped in a web of not being able to participate in economic activities. As a result, they become frustrated after leaving the formal education. This is because of challenges they face in finding employment, training, and getting integrated back into education after dropping out or attempting to further their studies.
Reversing these trends and high statistics of NEET people will require policies that address inequalities embedded within social strata, with opportunities for entrepreneurship. Otherwise, when the bomb is ticked, SA might experience a revolution never seen before, as it would not be easy to diffuse it with such a high percentage of NEET youth.
All what it requires is a matchstick in the form of a demagogue to start the fire. The government should strengthen the integration process of people who are NEET and have an interest in completing their basic education. Furthermore, those who completed programmes should be integrated in workplaces to gain experience.
• Profs Ngoepe and Matli are archivists, authors and academics with University of South Africa
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