Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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It is disappointing to see that unemployment, and that is the official unemployment figure, has now risen to 27,2%. So many of the problems South Africa faces are linked to unemployment – starting with the crime rate. People don’t realise that these statistics firstly reflect a far better position than the reality – they don’t include people who have permanently given up on finding a job. They only include about people who are still actively trying to find a job. We also need to compare this type of figure to that of the figure in developing countries. So, for example, in America the unemployment figure is 4%.
There are many reasons for this and I have grown tired of writing about some of them including the labour laws in South Africa, the CCMA, as well as our reduced productivity compared to some countries, but part of the problem is that those that are in employment are very supportive of policies that protect them while forgetting that it does not help those who are unemployed. It is a rather narrow approach which forgets that we are all affected, in one way or another, by the high unemployment rate. It would not be hard to speculate that accident rates would come down if more people were employed, if more money was spent on ensuring that cars were roadworthy and not driven with tyres that can barely get a grip on the road and are ready to explode. If you just want to stick to the basics, then yes, any country with high unemployment will have a high crime rate. That crime rate in turn will have a negative effect on the economy. It is a vicious circle, I don’t know what the way out is, and the ANC merely promising 6 million new jobs every 5 years and then never delivering anything at all is not going to be the answer either.
I also don’t think that the ANC, and many of those are in employment, want to hear about the mistakes that they made with labour laws in South Africa, some of which were definitely needed because there are appalling atrocities that we sometimes read about, particularly with farm workers and how they are abused. We have also chased away a lot of international companies that are not interested in sitting through ridiculous CCMA complaints every single time somebody is either fired or walks off a job and then claims that they were “constructively dismissed”! It is no coincidence that countries that do not have all of these laws also have much lower unemployment rates.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Monday 20-Aug-18
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Comments
Thabitha said:
on Wednesday 05-Sep-18 07:24 AM
What I can say about the years Zuma was a president time and money was wasted maybe we will see some changes this time and maybe jobs will be created hoping.
Shristi said:
on Tuesday 04-Sep-18 09:14 PM
It is quite evident that the unemployment rate in South Africa is on the increase. I believe that this is caused by a lack of students being able to finish school or attending tertiary education after school.This has a domino effect on society and the economy as a whole. The fact that the unemployment rate is increasing results in the crime rate increasing as well.
Liz said:
on Tuesday 04-Sep-18 03:42 PM
It appears that all the power rests with the employee, it does not matter how poorly you do your job, you will be afforded protection from dismissal. This leads to many qualified, hard working people being unemployed and the vicious cycle of crime and economic instability.
Henrietta said:
on Tuesday 04-Sep-18 11:44 AM
It is sad to hear this and what is more disappointing the ANC keeps on making thi "big" promises about creating jobs etc and never delivering and even more sadder than that is the people who falls for it everytime and vote for the ANC. Our crime is very high in SA and it feels like its getting worse. I think we can all name someone we know who was a victim of crime.
Natasha said:
on Tuesday 04-Sep-18 10:12 AM
The unemployment is SA is very bad and to think that my child have to get a job someday? It is not fair towards our children. There is so many people standing at a Traffic Light begging for money. One of my dads friends offered a guy a job and a place to stay and he said no thank you i get more money begging. Shocking
Jolene said:
on Friday 31-Aug-18 04:22 PM
The unemployment rate in SA is shocking but I feel that some people are just not willing to work hard and when they actually have a good job they don’t make an effort to keep it.
Tamaryn said:
on Friday 31-Aug-18 12:45 PM
I'm still of the opinion that if you need to dismiss/fire somebody because they are not working and are doing a terrible job, then you should absolutely be able to do so. Keeping poor employees in good jobs and then failing to provide new jobs is exactly why the employment rate is so high. And really, compared to the rest of the world, it is shockingly high!
Daniella said:
on Thursday 30-Aug-18 10:37 AM
The unemployment rate is shocking! it would be interesting to know how they would calculate those stat's because in South Africa there are a lot of informal ways of working such as vendors and people selling things at the robot. I wonder if it would be included.
Michelle D said:
on Wednesday 29-Aug-18 02:29 PM
This highlights the very loaded question of whether South African citizens are given too many rights. After the atrocities of our history it is evident that more comprehensive rights were needed to protect the greater population, however, the immensity of rights given seems to have instilled a sense of entitlement amongst us. The desperation of the unemployed population together with the sense of entitlement as a result of the false promises provided over the past 24 years has had an extremely detrimental effect on our crime rates.
Nicolle said:
on Wednesday 29-Aug-18 12:09 PM
I'd be interested to know how this percentage is calculated exactly?
Jadine Richards said:
on Tuesday 28-Aug-18 10:01 AM
All the ANC has is empty promises. I don't know what the solution to unemployment is but I know that it is not our current government.
Melissa said:
on Monday 27-Aug-18 08:32 AM
Unemployment is a very big concern in our country and something has to be done about this. We can all be grateful that we have a job
Joyce said:
on Friday 24-Aug-18 05:01 PM
Sounds like labour laws in South Africa are harsh to employers and business owners
Jessica said:
on Friday 24-Aug-18 04:54 PM
Our unemployment rates are alarming, with 50% of Johannesburg's Youth being unemployed! However, as mentioned, reduced productivity and unrealistic expectations have derailed the drive within our Youth and quite frankly, nobody really wants to work for minimum wage, with the cost of living being as high as what it is in South Africa!
Michelle said:
on Friday 24-Aug-18 12:48 PM
Our high crime rate is definitely, without a doubt because of our unemployment figure. People do not have any income and their expenses are more than double what they get. And every person without a job fights to survive.
Zindy said:
on Friday 24-Aug-18 10:21 AM
Statistics are very sad. Every year there are thousands of matriculants that need jobs and there are no jobs available. I agree with Brumilde that the country is falling apart despite the working class. Its not focused on the target areas to build the country, Everyone is just trying to get by.
Brenda Du Toit said:
on Friday 24-Aug-18 09:24 AM
The government needs to step in with the Unemployment in our Country. This is a big problem and its getting worse everyday. People with jobs must be grateful for what they have there are people out there that don't have anything.
Ashleigh said:
on Friday 24-Aug-18 08:54 AM
The unemployment rate is sad. People are struggling and nothing that is ever promised comes to light. I don't put any faith in the government or people.
sarah said:
on Thursday 23-Aug-18 04:34 PM
Patrick makes a good point, why does government not help small businesses? It will help our economy a lot and with crime rate going down as well.
patrick said:
on Thursday 23-Aug-18 10:33 AM
Free up Small Business initiatives and we will be able to create jobs.
Helen said:
on Wednesday 22-Aug-18 07:37 AM
More and more funds it taken out of the country in politician's pockets! It is very sad to see how the unemployment rises every year, as a result of no changes made from the government side to increase jobs, to improve public transport and give free education and training the ones who really needed.
I am fully agree that today in this country you have to be grateful for the job you have and make sure you are improve yourself and show your employer that you are an asset for the company!
brumilde said:
on Wednesday 22-Aug-18 07:34 AM
I was just talking about the high unemployment rate the other day. Everything is a circle and it stacks like dominos, one move affects the rest. The working class pay tax to keep the country going but the country itself keeps falling of the bandwagon
Jadine Esterhuizen said:
on Wednesday 22-Aug-18 07:19 AM
When political parties need votes people are so easily persuaded when they are promised jobs, but yet not any of them live up to their word. It is sad to know that because of this someone out there is being robbed or murdered for their hard earned valuables.
courtney said:
on Tuesday 21-Aug-18 04:49 PM
When you count your blessings you must really count your job twice if you have one, it is so sad that people who do not have an income takes from people who work so hard to get what they want in life.
Mathilda Du Preez said:
on Tuesday 21-Aug-18 03:57 PM
I'm really grateful to not be part of the unemployment stats
We are all privileged to have a Job
Alexis said:
on Tuesday 21-Aug-18 09:39 AM
It is scary to be honest...and yes, you cant find a job and you need to live, so most will resort to crime. Second, I can imagine the laws with regards to labor is so that people are not taken advantage of, but then, it is a bit too lenient on the side of the employees and what they can get away with, so again, yes, it chases possible employers away - it is a conundrum
Fikile said:
on Tuesday 21-Aug-18 09:22 AM
We have a high unemployment rate because most people in South Africa will not work for a small amount forgetting that we have to start small, forgetting that a job is like having a baby, you can't rush them to walk or to run you have to give them their own space and allow them to do things the way on their own time. In South Africa you will never get hired unless you know someone in the firm that you are applying at or better yet a recommendation from someone who works there.
candice said:
on Monday 20-Aug-18 04:55 PM
Crime is very high in South Africa and I think people are tired of trying to get a job so they resort to other crimes. These days if you have a job you need to hold on it . It Doe's not matter how many qualifications you have you just cannot find work in SA. And i hope those parties can actually try create jobs and not just make empty promises just so they can be elected
Megan said:
on Monday 20-Aug-18 02:35 PM
Honestly crime is constantly growing and I agree that there are those who aren't worried about finding work and commit crimes because that's easier. Empty promises made by Parties are always evident but still people buy into it.
Angelique Jurgens said:
on Monday 20-Aug-18 12:56 PM
Cyril Ramaphosa announced a plan to attract $100 billion investment to the country over the next five years which would assist in addressing unemployment and boost the economy. But what is said and done is two different things.
If you have a job, one needs to be extremely grateful because jobs really are scarce. The government needs to really fast track these plans because if it doesn't change our country and its people will become even more dangerous - fight to survive.
Victoria said:
on Monday 20-Aug-18 11:31 AM
I agree that unemployment does lead to a higher crime rate, but I also think small business don't want to employ people because they are afraid of being taken to the CCMA. The ANC keeps promising all these jobs to the unemployed especially when it comes to election time and then there promises are never kept.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
