{"id":57807,"date":"2025-06-13T11:54:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T11:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/?p=57807"},"modified":"2025-06-13T11:54:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T11:54:57","slug":"were-not-just-marching-were-building-the-future-joburg-youth-lead-the-charge-for-green-jobs-this-youth-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/press\/57807\/were-not-just-marching-were-building-the-future-joburg-youth-lead-the-charge-for-green-jobs-this-youth-day\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWe\u2019re Not Just Marching – We\u2019re Building the Future\u201d: Joburg Youth Lead the Charge for Green Jobs This Youth Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Johannesburg, 13 June 2025 –  <\/strong>Hundreds of young people flooded the streets of Johannesburg in a powerful call for economic justice through climate action. Backed by Greenpeace Africa, they waved hand-painted placards, their chants echoing across pavements, in a shared urgency drawn together by a generation raised on promises \u2014 and now demanding delivery. This Youth Day, South Africa\u2019s youth were not just commemorating the past; they marched for a future they refuse to be excluded from.<\/p>\n\n

At the heart of their demand was a clear message: a Just Transition must mean green jobs for young people, now.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to be statistics anymore. We want to be builders of the new economy,\u201d said Aphiwe, a 24-year-old graduate who\u2019s been unemployed for over a year. \u201cGive us the skills. Give us the tools. Let us work \u2014 not just survive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

With youth unemployment sitting above 60%<\/strong>, South Africa\u2019s young people are caught in a worsening economic storm. Yet they also represent the country\u2019s greatest untapped human resource; bold, informed, and ready to act. The renewable energy sector offers a lifeline: up to five times more jobs than the fossil fuel economy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

But that opportunity remains out of reach for many. Through this march, the youth-  in a memorandum presented to the labour ministry – demanded access to skilling and upskilling programmes<\/strong>, inclusion in climate and economic planning, and investment in clean energy infrastructure that benefits communities, not corporations.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cSouth Africa\u2019s young people aren\u2019t just demanding jobs. They\u2019re demanding a future where those jobs are sustainable, dignified, and part of solving the climate crisis,\u201d<\/em> says Siyabonga Myeza, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Africa.<\/p>\n\n

This isn\u2019t the first time youth have taken to the streets on June 16, a date seared into South African memory. In 1976, students marched for the right to education. In 2025, they march for the right to work, to be heard, and to live on a planet that hasn\u2019t been plundered past repair<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis generation sees the link between economic injustice and climate injustice. Their message is clear: we cannot afford to wait any longer,\u201d<\/em> said Cynthia Moyo, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Africa.<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace Africa stands shoulder-to-shoulder with these young leaders, calling on the South African government, private sector, and civil society to honour their vision, not with speeches but with action.<\/p>\n\n

This Youth Day, the call will ring out from city streets and rural corners alike:
\u201cNo jobs on a dead planet. No future without the youth.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

ENDS.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

For more information, contact:<\/strong>

Ferdinand Omondi,\u00a0Communication and Story Manager, Greenpeace Africa, email: fomondi@greenpeace.org<\/a>, cell: +254 722 505 233

Greenpeace Africa Press Desk:<\/strong>Pressdesk.africa@greenpeace.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n

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