DJ Zinhle calls on the government to up-skill youth
DJ Zinhle recently came under fire for raising an issue around South African youth. She says she didn't mean to offend anyone.
Unemployment continues to be a serious challenge in South Africa.
According to DJ Zinhle, the lack of skills amongst the youth is a major problem - something she has experienced first-hand when looking to employ young people.
In a clip that has gone viral on social media, the DJ can be heard saying: "One thing about the South African youth is not just that they are unemployed, a lot of them are unemployable. They don't have the skills required. It bugs me how long it takes for us to fill positions as Era. Just to find the right person for our shops. It takes longer than it should in a country that has so much unemployment.”
Some social media users took offence.
READ: DJ Zinhle responds to social media users saying she's a lesbian
The DJ and entrepreneur took to X to set the record straight.
She says her statement was not meant to insult anyone and she started by apologising.
"I’m glad we are talking about this. Firstly. I apologise if I offended anyone," she wrote on X on Sunday.
"I wasn’t attacking the youth at all, as a small business owner I do employ & train people, but this doesn’t even start to solve the problems we are facing as the South African youth," she added.
The award-winning DJ also asked the South African government to step in and play its role in assisting the youth to gain the skills they need to become employable.
"I could do more with support from government. How do we up-skill our youth so that they are ready for employment? Are we in denial that we are not getting the jobs we want because we do not have the skills required? Are we in denial that not all the people are getting the education they need to be employable?" she asked.
"You guys are speaking from a one sided view of graduates who have matric, a diploma etc - and can’t get jobs, I’m not saying they don’t need the assistance, they do but we need to think about the youth holistically so we can challenge the people in power," she wrote on Instagram.
I’m glad we are talking about this.
— #ERAbyDJZinhle #ZeeNation (@DJZinhle) May 19, 2024
Firstly. I apologize if I offended anyone.
I wasn’t attacking the youth at all, as a small business owner I do employ & train people, but this doesn’t even start to solve the problems we are facing as the South African youth. I could do more…
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Image courtesy of Instagram.