Introduction

A generation fading away into a fickle abyss. The notion of a lost generation is one that is used circumspectly. Typically; this notion is synonymous with negative growth, the escalated severity of socio-economic issues, adverse effects on the general standard of living and the misguided antics of a youth body that is lacking direction.

A pertinent concern in relation to the aforementioned has recently been the subject of constant uproar in South Africa. The concern latches on to a steady emergence of a cluster of citizens who are classified as:

those Not in Education, Employment or Training (“NEETS”)

This article will categorically argue parallel to the argument that it has become apparent that NEETS are becoming a “lost generation” in South Africa.

Four main aspects relevant to the subject matter will form the locus of my discussion. Firstly, ever-increasing poverty levels that perpetuate the deterioration of NEETS will be discussed. Secondly, the effects of the familiar scourge of the apartheid legacy and its negative impact on NEETS will be analyzed. Thirdly, the implicit and explicit costs that NEETS add to, will be extensively determined with regard to the social and economic spectrum of South Africa. Finally, the lack of positive contribution to the economy by NEETS will be dissected.

In addition to the aforementioned aspects, a compelling counter-argument and well-reasoned refutation will be presented.

Ever-increasing poverty levels stimulates NEET development

The constant increase in poverty levels in South Africa is cultivating the emergence of a misplaced propagation.

Studies in poverty and inequality institute (2007) describe poverty to be a lack of resources necessary for survival. Some people in South Africa are living below the poverty line. People are not able to obtain an education, as education has been rendered inaccessible to them, because of reasons such as exorbitant financial demands from institutions of learning. Poverty has a ripple effect on the lives of many South Africans. Some children are unable to concentrate in school, because they lack proper nutrition.

The Youth group fact sheet (2011) stated in their report that poor children are more likely to suffer from illnesses as they do not have access to proper health care facilities and this leads to absenteeism from school. The low levels of education in South Africa has led to an increase in the unemployment rate of the country and therefore the poverty levels have intensified. People do not have the skills needed to find jobs and are unable to support themselves. Former president Nelson Mandela wrote in his book, Long Walk to Freedom, that:

“Education is the great engine of personal development.
It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor; that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine; that a child of farm workers can become the president.” (Mandela, 1995).

Many young people depend on a grants and handouts from the government for financial support and therefore do not see the need to educate or train themselves to find a job.

According to News 24 (2015) the number of South Africans living in poverty has increased since 2010, creating an even bigger gap between the wealthy and the poor. The poverty cycle continues and most families are not able to escape it. Thus, the constant increase in poverty levels in South Africa is cultivating the emergence of a misplaced propagation.

The effect of apartheid on NEETS

The apartheid system had a significant effect on the socio-economic challenges that South Africa’s young people are faced with today.

In Oosthuizen and Cassiem’s (2014) view, the economic and social climate of South Africa still suffers from the detrimental effects that the apartheid system instigated. According to Apartheid-facts and Summary History.com (n.d) apartheid was introduced into law in 1948, however white supremacy and racial discrimination had been in effect centuries before the apartheid system was introduced.

Cloete and Butler-Adam (2012) state that almost 3 million people between the age group 18-24 in South Africa are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETS). That is a considerable number of young people; in fact that number constitutes 24% of South Africa’s population according to Statistics South Africa (2015).

Many factors contribute to the high number of NEETS in South Africa!

Inadequate access to quality education and training is one of the factors that have a significant contribution to the high number of NEETS in South Africa. The effect of apartheid rule on the education system of South Africa is one that cannot be ignored. The apartheid government introduced an education system that discriminated against the black majority and privileged the white minority.

Referring to SA History (2015) this can be illustrated by the introduction of the Bantu education system that served to prepare black people for inferior jobs that did not up-skill black people with skills required for a highly skilled economy. Through this reasoning the Bantu education system was poorly resourced and white people’s education was the only well-resourced education. Given the fact that there are more black people than white people in South Africa, according to SouthAfrica.info (2015), after the transition from apartheid a significant share of South Africa’s education system inherited an inadequate poorly resourced education system. The majority of the people who are still adversely affected by the poorly resourced education system are black people, because of the system’s cyclical effect. To access quality education in South Africa one needs to attend private schools or government schools which are in middle-class communities.

Furthermore, Southall (2016) stated that many black people do not have that luxury. Given that explanation, a huge number of people between the ages of 18-24 do not have access to quality education. Subsequently, that leads to unemployment, due to the fact that people are not educated or the skills they have are not in demand in the economy.

According to Cloete and Buttler-Adam (2012) 90% of burglars do not have a matric certificate and are unemployed, with 53.4% of young black people between the ages of 15-24 years old unemployed by the end of 2009. The above statistics further cement the effects of apartheid on those classified as NEETS in South Africa.

According to Smith (2014):

a lost generation is a generation that will never fulfil its potential or achieve its ambition

Those people then try to find a foothold of any kind. The more time an individual spends as a NEET the more difficult it becomes for that individual to participate in the economy. Subsequently, that induces a prospect of an increase in the number of the people that are considered as a lost generation. Thus, the apartheid system has had a significant effect on the socio-economic challenges that South Africa’s young people face today.

NEETS add to economic and social costs

There are various costs associated with the increasing number of young people in the NEET category, which adds to major economic and social costs in South Africa. These costs include; increased participation in crime and costs to public finances. Youth unemployment has been identified as one of the factors that increase the risk of problematic behaviour and delinquency. Whilst representing a substantial cost to the criminal justice system, this also impacts significantly on a personal level, when having a criminal record will act as a barrier to employment.

According to Alda and Cuesta (2011) the cost of crime in South Africa including medical, institutional, private security, economic costs and transfers has been estimated at US$22.1 billion or 7.8 % of the GDP in 2007. The cost of crime is an epidemic situation which needs a solution. The money spent on lessening crime is concerning and could have rather been used on programs that will prevent people from falling into the category of NEETS.

According to Durant and Powell (2015) NEETS have a negative impact on economic growth and productivity. The majority of the NEET generation does not only lead to a decrease in productivity and gross domestic product (GDP), but also increases the economic costs for the country. Durant and Powell (2015) further states that there is a risk of talent and skills going to waste, since a great amount of university graduates are unable to secure employment.

There is a demand for more money to be spent on social grants and therefore less money is being received in the form of tax. The shortage in taxes is detrimental to the country because it is one of the country’s major sources of income.

Therefore, it is clear that NEETS contribute to major economic and social costs in South Africa.

Lack of positive contribution of NEETS to the economy

An absence of positive contribution towards enriching the South African economy from those who are classified as NEETS, is poignantly prevalent. The youth, who are the future leaders of South Africa, possess great potential to bring about economic and social change that could improve South Africa’s economy, however the potential is not being fulfilled.

In Jonas’ (2013) view, the reality is that since 1976, young people have not made a combined impact on the national scale that has made a positive change in the country. Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan (2016) stated in his 2016 budget speech that the South African economy is in a crisis and conceded that the economy was struggling with shrinking economic growth.

It is therefore expected of the youth to use their time, talents, skills, competencies and qualifications towards seeking entrepreneurial opportunities or employment that would benefit South Africa’s economy. However, young people who fall under the NEETS category, particularly the discouraged persons that are available to work but are not actively seeking employment, are not studying towards equipping themselves with the necessary academic knowledge that would help them in obtaining stable employment.

According to Maswanganyi (2015) approximately 9.8 million of the unemployed youth are not economically active and more young people have given up searching for employment opportunities. There is an alarming amount of NEETS that lack the direction and ambition to become financially stable in the midst of South Africa’s economic crisis.

Therefore, it is evident that an absence of contribution towards enriching the South African economy from those who are classified as NEETS, is poignantly prevalent.

Contrasting views on the lack of positive contribution

Opponents of this idea may state that the young people are restricted to contribute towards the economy. The youth is restricted by financial barriers that limit them from obtaining education and insufficient employment opportunities that are accessible in South Africa. To a certain extent there is truth to the opposing view, however there are government based initiatives implemented to address education accessibility and the youth unemployment rate in South Africa.

According to the Department of Higher Education and Training (2013), the government’s National Development Plan aims to increase access to further education and training colleges by 1.25 million students and higher education institutions by 1.6 million by the year 2030.

Furthermore, the Youth Employment Accord(YEA) helps young people to with regards to employment opportunities through job placements and in terms of the accord, all government departments are required to employ interns, which serves as 5% of the total number of employees.

Therefore there are initiatives in place, that enable young people to contribute towards the economy of South Africa.

Contrasting views on the effect of poverty levels

Those who disagree with this notion move towards a theory that poverty levels are used as a scapegoat to advocate that NEETS are becoming a lost generation.

Undoubtedly, poverty has a bearing on the bleak situation facing NEETS, however, the ongoing emergence of NEETS is due to a lack of rehabilitation, reform and restructuring initiatives within communities.

According to Venter (2004, p. 1) the community, and belonging to a community is part of the essence of conventional African societies. There has been a lack of this spirit of togetherness in South Africa in recent times and therefore a big impact cannot be made to reduce the amount of citizens classified as NEETS.

There are many foundations that could be instituted in impoverished communities that combat the circumstances in which NEETS find themselves in. These foundations would assist those who are categorized as NEETS in unleashing their potential, by means of rendering the possibility of the stagnation of their professional development due to financial constraints, null and void.

For example, the Chrysalis Academy in Tokai was instituted in response to high crime levels in the Western Cape and serves as an empowerment course to those who are NEETS (2016). If more similar initiatives are implemented within communities facing poverty, the opportunity to use poverty levels as a scapegoat for the constant increase of NEETS would be eliminated.

Many issues raised by the opposition maintain validity and reference in particular contexts. However, the opposing argument is flawed in the context of the broadness, and complexity of the effects of poverty on NEETS.

According to Carter and May (2001, p. 3) fifty percent of non-white South Africans lived in poverty in 1993, which depicts a stunning portrayal of material deprivation, inequality, and human insecurity found in the midst of an upper middle income country with a per-capita income in excess of $3000. Referring to Statistics South Africa (2015) the percentages have just worsened over time. This indicates that the magnitude of the effects of low poverty levels, and the comprehensive effects hereof cannot simply be remedied by intensive community involvement.

Contrasting views on addition to country’s cost

An alternative view may be taken with regard to the notion that NEETS extensively add to the economic and social cost of South Africa. Certain individuals advocate that it is the responsibility of government to minimize the effect NEETS have on the costs of the country.

The South African government has failed to make meaningful strides with regards to eradicating the category of NEETS. The strategies implemented by the state have failed overall, or where successful, have not expanded sufficiently to the mandatory scale. Kraak (2013) suggests that there is a need for more micro-level, qualitative research into the conditions that define local labour markets, and the role played by key organisational intermediaries such as NGOs which succeed where the state has failed – in successfully placing the young unemployed in work.

In light of the aforementioned failure by the government, fertile ground for the incurring of social and economic costs to the country has been cultivated. If the government implements more efficient and effective policies that solely focuses on dealing with the added costs to the economy, generated by NEETS, development is more likely to occur.

To a certain degree, the alternative view is justified. However, government strategies may take a considerable amount of time to have an impact on the greater society even after they have been implemented. This can be substantiated by Coglianese (2012) who states that significant complexity exists to ascribing transitions in economic or welfare outcomes to changes in regulatory policy.

This portrays that NEETS do indeed add to the social and economic costs of South Africa.

Conclusion

This article has evidently categorically argued parallel to the statement that NEETS are becoming a lost generation in South Africa.

This was achieved by examining four key aspects. The impact of ever-increasing poverty levels that perpetuate the deterioration of NEETS was discussed.

Additionally, the effects of the familiar scourge of the apartheid legacy and its negative impact on NEETS was analyzed.

Furthermore, the implicit and explicit costs that NEETS add to, was extensively determined with regard to the social and economic spectrum of South Africa.

Finally, the lack of positive contribution to the economy by NEETS was dissected.

Moreover, engaging opposing views and convincing refutations have been provided. If South African authorities, in conjunction and coalition with communities, can initiate policies, programmes, and a culture and also develop existing mechanisms concerning the deterring of NEETS becoming a lost generation in South Africa, the country could reach the heights it is destined to achieve.

Writer and editor
Email: mphumzimm@gmail.com
Call: 0726906903

Facebook: Mphumzi Nikuzuko Merciful

Co-writers and editors

GIOVAN VAN RENSBURG

ASTRID EVADNE WITBOOI

MPHUMZI MAKELENI

GIOVANI ASHVANTÉ GAFFOOR

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