EThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede says the municipality will be employing more young people especially engineers. She was addressing thousands of people at a Youth Month commemoration in Durban. She has called on the private sector to also take in more young people.
Gumede says more highly skilled young people will be required in the future. She has also has urged young women to focus on their careers and to steer clear of blessers, as well as drugs and alcohol . “I encourage you to be like Mama Albertina Sisuslu and Mama Winnie Mandela. Pride yourself. These were young and educated women in the struggle who were beautiful and classy, but very independent. Young women must be in the forefront in the struggle for economic freedom. They must fight for opportunities in the land and in the ocean in order to be independent.”
Two female trailblazers spoke to the thousands of young people about the opportunities in the oceans economy. Balungile Masuku was thrown in at the deep end when she was employed at a high school in Clarermont, south of Durban.
Expecting to teach maths and science, she was told the only post available was in maritime economics. She says she had to do her own research, and has now written the first high school textbook in the country for the subject and Londiwe Ngcobo became the first female dredge master in Africa in 2014 – commanding a vessel that keeps the port entrance open for shipping .
“If you can’t find a job in land, the ocean is also for us and we must think outside the box. I did maths and science at school, I was able to do maritime studies at DUT and I was able to drive ships. But over and above that, even if you don’t have maths and science, we still need people like entertainers, people like teachers, and cleaners that can still fill in those ships and unfortunately at the moment it’s only done by countries outside South Africa. “
