On behalf of SAFTU, we welcome the intention to move towards greater coordination and implementation in human resource development. However, our commitment is critical and conditional, grounded in the lived realities of workers and the unemployed.
The Education Crisis as the Foundation Any HRD strategy will fail if it does not confront the deep structural crisis in basic education. We must acknowledge the facts: 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning (PIRLS 2021), In TIMSS 2019, South Africa scored 389 in mathematics and 370 in science at Grade 9, placing us at the lower end internationally; By 2022, only around 62% of young people had successfully completed Grade 12 or an equivalent qualification (DBE review) But the crisis does not end with matric.
Even those who pass are blocked: Roughly 337,000 learners who achieved bachelor passes, only about 200,000 first-year university places are available, TVET colleges remain under-capacitated and uneven in quality.
This means both: Those who do not complete school and those who pass but are excluded from further education, are channelled into the same outcome: unemployment, and the scale is undeniable. 57.0% unemployment among youth aged 15–24
is 43.8% and unemployment among youth aged 15–34 (Stats SA, Q4 2025). Skills Strategy Must Be Linked to Jobs
We support the identification of priority and future skills.
But we must be clear, this is an indictment of both employers and sections of labour.
SAFTU commits to fighting for:
Accountability, Proper use of funds
and Alignment to real economic and social needs.
SAFTU’s Commitment In this context, SAFTU commits to: Mobilise workers and unemployed youth to shape and participate in HRD programmes, Fight for equal access to education and training, Link education and skills to decent work and industrial development, Engage actively to ensure implementation, transparency, and measurable outcomes.
Closing Line (Strong and Grounded in Facts)
“We support coordination and implementation. But the reality is stark: 81% of our children cannot read for meaning, too many never complete schools, and even those who pass are locked out of further education. With youth unemployment at 57% for those aged 15 to 24, the system is failing. SAFTU will engage but also hold all of us accountable for real change.”
Issued on behalf of SAFTU by the General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi.
For media inquiries, contact:
National Spokesperson
Newton Masuku
newtonm@saftu.org.za 0661682157
Media Officer
Asive Dyani
0719019564
