Ramaphosa: Covid-19 has worsened youth unemployment

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramphosa has said the coronavirus pandemic has worsened unemployment in his country, particularly for young people.

In his Youth Day message on Tuesday, the president urged young South Africans to work with the government to come up with “solutions to the unemployment crisis”. 

He added that the government was now looking to the “innovative and pioneering spirit of its young people”. 

He mentioned programmes such as the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative and the National Youth Service as ways in which the country would support young South Africans entering the business world. 

Prior to the coronavirus crisis, South Africa’s total unemployment rate was 29.1%, however the economic impact of the pandemic is likely to increase this figure as businesses struggle to stay afloat after months of reduced economic activity. 

South Africa is one of the countries worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic and had previously instated some of the toughest lockdown restrictions in the world to suppress it. 

The country has so far confirmed 75,533 cases of coronavirus, including 1,568 deaths. 

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