About 1.5 million more South Africans will from 1 May return to work as government begins to lift a fraction of COVID-19 lockdown regulations. This comes as government gradually eases the economy back into activity as announced this week by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The regulations were introduced last month as government sought to counter the […]

Tonight Carte Blanche visits Bloemfontein Zoo where animals were left starving after the zoo was closed down a few months ago. Some even died. Fortunately it was announced in the last week that most have now been relocated to ethical facilities. The current affairs show also investigates how COVID-19 will affect the economy here in […]

The results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the fourth quarter of 2019 show that the official unemployment rate remained unchanged at 29.1%, compared to the third quarter of 2019. Releasing the survey results on Tuesday in Tshwane, Statistician General Risenga Maluleke said this was the first time since 2008 that the unemployment […]

Up until 5 months ago, Llewellyn Barnes (59) was a homeless man, living on the streets of Pretoria, South Africa… but this March, against all odds, he will participate amongst professional players in the Senior Tour, a major golf tournament! A difficult childhood At an early age, Llewellyn faced many obstacles. He became like an […]

When Siphamandla Ntshewula was studying for matric in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, his family used to tell him the bright ceiling lights stopped them sleeping. So the young South African came up with the idea of making desk lamps from plastic bottles. Ntshewula, from T Section in Site B, matriculated in 2017. Now 21, he says […]

Over the last seven years, I have travelled internationally for work to hundreds of cities. I expected that my exposure to other places would create the desire to leave South Africa and experience living overseas… writes Dean Gerber, CA (SA) who works for VAT IT Pty Ltd. In fact, it has had the opposite effect. […]

Recently SAPeople asked the experts in their fields to answer South Africans’ seafarer questions about working on super yachts, to ensure you got the best answers to your queries. The South African Seafarer Experts Trilogy Luxury Training is the only internationally accredited training provider for interior crew in South Africa, but also offer help and […]

If you’ve ever dreamt of becoming a seafarer and travelling the world aboard a super yacht, or if you already have that dream position, here are some top tips from South African experts on how to get and keep your job, your sanity… and your newfound wealth! Lauren Norton, Director of Trilogy Luxury Training, spent […]

There’s a growing trend for young South Africans to work aboard luxury super yachts, earning dollars and seeing the world! But how easy is it to get a job? Here’s one young South African’s firsthand account of her experience looking for work in Antibes… Saffas in Yachting I left South Africa for Antibes in the […]

Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, a youth training scheme in South Africa, will be presented with a fantastic $1.5-million award in Oxford this week at Britain’s leading event for social enterprise, the Skoll World Forum. Harambee is one of five social businesses around the world to each receive the $1.5 million prize from the Skoll Foundation, […]

Teaching is tough in overcrowded schools with ill-disciplined sometimes violent learners. “If I could change careers I would… Teaching is not easy,” says a teacher who has spent 12 years at a high school in Khayelitsha. The teacher, who preferred to stay anonymous, told GroundUp: “We teach some very ill-disciplined children, and sometimes there is […]

Wiesenhof’s National Beverage Specialist Khulekani “Khule” Mpala Khule who came from Zimbabwe with a family, and pretty much nothing in his pocket is now a top barista, winning awards for his exceptional coffee creations! He won top technical honours at the Speciality Coffee Association of Southern Africa’s National Coffee Competition last weekend, being awarded the […]

In his first State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa posed the key question: has South Africa built a society where the injustices of the past no longer define the lives of the present? The answer is clearly no. Among the biggest injustices is unemployment. Last year the unemployment rate worsened to over 27%. […]

Transport Minister Blade Nzimande has announced a R3.5 billion stimulus and recovery plan with measures that will ensure that government gives priority to the areas of economic activity that will have the greatest impact on youth, women and small businesses. “The stimulus and recovery plan consists of a range of measures, both financial and non-financial, […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday officially open the R5.5 billion investment zinc mine in the Northern Cape, the Presidency said on Sunday. The Gamsberg Mine near Aggeneys is located in the mining centre between Springbok and Pofadder and will contribute to job creation and skills development. The new mine is owned by India’s globally […]

Water supply in the Eastern Cape is set to improve with the launch of the Mzimvubu Water Project’s advanced infrastructure. The R113 million advanced infrastructure project in Esiqhungqwini village in Tsolo will also contribute to job creation in the rural area. This infrastructure will allow easy access to the dam site and water treatment works, […]

Business should inform curricula to prepare South Africa for the fourth industrial revolution, writes Business Unity SA CEO Tanya Cohen. In any other society, a youth unemployment rate of upwards of 30% would give policymakers and administrators sleepless nights. But the slow pace of reform in higher education and the seeming absence of a broad-based, […]

“The gold is right here in the soil”. Located between Marievale military base and Nigel is an old gold mine, Vlakfontein, where informal miners extract gold from the mine dump. “The gold found at this old mine is very easy to extract and in a good month one can make R10,000 or more,” explains Mozambican-born […]

If people are not willing to invest in a country, it is almost impossible to generate new jobs, writes Professor Vimal Ranchod.   South Africa’s unemployment rate is one of the highest in the world. It is consistently measured above 20%. This is a national crisis that feeds two of the country’s other big socio-economic […]

Yesterday President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the Competition Amendment Bill, which will strengthen regulations against anti-competitive behaviour in industrial markets. The bill, which was approved by the National Assembly in October 2018 and endorsed by the National Council of Provinces in December 2018, is a step in the right direction for SMEs, economic inclusion […]

“There are so many people in our community who are unemployed yet we still see rubbish lying around”. On a scorching Friday afternoon, Ayanda Kunene sits under a makeshift shelter that covers his car wash. He is waiting for customers. Despite matriculating and actively searching for work, Kunene, 30, has never had a permanent job. […]

U.S. shared workspace provider WeWork plans to launch in South Africa later this year, it said on Thursday, a move that would mark the first African expansion for the $47 billion New York-based company. The firm, backed by Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp, will team up with Redefine Properties, one of South Africa’s biggest real estate […]

Young South Africans spend on average R938 (US$85) a month looking for work. This astronomical cost includes transport at R558 ($41) and an additional R380 ($28) for internet access, printing, application fees, agent’s fees and even money for bribes. The picture is even more alarming when you consider the unemployment statistics. Over the last decade […]

The Department of Correctional Services has warned members of the public of a jobs scam doing the rounds on social media and other channels where members of the public are invited to apply for employment and learnership opportunities. “We therefore wish to warn South Africans against falling prey to this scam and would like to […]

JOHANNESBURG  – South Africa’s new national minimum wage will take effect from January 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday, ensuring workers earn at least R20 an hour. Ramaphosa last month signed into law the national minimum wage bill, part of efforts by the government to tackle wage inequality in South Africa. The National Minimum […]