Soweto township youth experience of unemployment

Abstract

Background: The South African youth is confronted by unemployment. Ironically, even the youth of Soweto Township experience the harsh realities of unemployment, despite them playing a significant role to fight the apartheid regime. Therefore, the study explores the experiences of the youth of Soweto with regards to unemployment. Method: This study adopted a qualitative research approach and case study design. The purposive sampling method was used to select the sample. The sample consisted of ten unemployed youth of Soweto Township. The unstructured interview was utilised to collect data. Results: One of the main findings in this study was the fact that unemployment has impacted negatively on young people in Soweto Township. Unemployment has led to psychological effects and isolation amongst the jobless youth of Soweto. Conclusion: There is a need for great job opportunities for the youth in South Africa to grow the economy. This could also reduce crime among young people since it is well known that some of the young people have engaged in criminal activities due to unemployment.