Solly Msimanga MPL, DA Gauteng Leader of the Official Opposition
Fifty years ago, South African youth took to the streets to revolt against the Apartheid government’s discriminatory and exclusionary education system. On 16 June 1976, South Africa’s young people gallantly fought to secure their political freedom. Yet, as things stand, the struggle to achieve economic inclusion, access, and equality continues.
The youth of 2026 face a multitude of socio-economic challenges, which include high unemployment levels, poverty, crime, substance abuse, limited access to economic opportunities, and poor service delivery.
For many of our youth, these struggles represent their daily lived experience, a reality that provides the perfect breeding ground for criminality and poor behaviour. The Democratic Alliance (DA) encourages the youth to register and vote to improve their lives.
In Gauteng, the country's economic hub, the official unemployment rate increased quarter-to-quarter from 33% to 34.1%.
