UPDATE- Reyaga Community Project Demands Answers After 15 Days Waiting for Youth Jobs

UPDATE: Reyaga Community Project Demands Response from Factories After 15 Days Waiting for Youth Employment

Pretoria, Gauteng – The Reyaga Community Project has stepped up its call for action at the Rosslyn Industrial Corridor, demanding answers from factories regarding the employment of local youth. This comes exactly 15 days after a strike and community action, during which over 30,000 CVs from unemployed township youth were submitted in hopes of securing jobs.

READ: March Wraps: Rosslyn Youth Protest: Thousands Demand Local Employment Opportunities

The NGO’s demands highlight frustration over unfulfilled promises by companies to employ locals, integrate townships into industrial projects, and provide skills development opportunities. According to Reyaga, foreign nationals continue to occupy thousands of factory positions while local youth remain largely unemployed.

“Today marks the 15th day since we gave factories the chance to respond. We expected clarity on how many local youth would be employed and the steps being taken to fulfill previous commitments. So far, we have received no communication, which is unacceptable,” said a spokesperson from Reyaga Community Project.

The community organization emphasized that while companies like BMW have pledged skills development, bursaries, and transformation funds, the benefits have yet to reach intended recipients. Schools report that local students are still not receiving promised bursaries, and small local businesses struggle to enter supply chains dominated by foreign companies.

READ: Pretoria Youth Protest in Rosslyn Demands Jobs from Local Factories

The Reyaga Project warned that if there is no response or action from factories soon, the community will mobilize for a large-scale march involving residents from Tshwane and across Gauteng to demand accountability and job opportunities.

“This is about giving our youth a fair chance. We have 30,000 CVs ready, and local unemployed youth should not continue being sidelined while foreign nationals fill positions that could go to them,” the spokesperson added.

With youth unemployment in South Africa exceeding 50%, the situation at Rosslyn underscores a growing crisis of joblessness and the need for urgent industrial transformation that benefits local communities.