a fresh slap to South Africa’s desperate youth, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has joined the chorus of ANC leaders dismissing the unemployed as mere noisemakers. Speaking recently, Godongwana scoffed that jobless citizens “make noise and march every day” simply because “they have no work to do.” It’s a callous quip that echoes earlier insults from heavyweights like Gwede Mantashe and President Cyril Ramaphosa, who have repeatedly blamed the victims of 32.1% unemployment—highest among G20 nations—for their plight.
Mantashe once sneered at protesters as “professional demonstrators,” while Ramaphosa has urged the idle to “stop complaining.” Now Godongwana piles on, ignoring how his National Treasury wields the budget axe, slashing job programs amid economic stagnation. With over 8 million unemployed, mostly black youth in townships like those in Cape Town and Gauteng, these remarks aren’t gaffes—they’re a pattern of elite deflection. The ANC, in power since 1994, promised jobs but delivered cadre deployment and state capture scandals that bled billions.
This arrogance fuels rage. Protests aren’t “noise”; they’re cries for dignity in a nation where graduates hawk airtime on street corners. As Proverbs 14:31 reminds us, “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker.” Leaders mocking the vulnerable mock God Himself.
South Africans deserve better. Demand accountability: real skills training, SME funding, and corruption probes—not sneers from fat-cat ministers. The 2026 polls loom; will the ANC learn, or keep insulting the jobless majority?
It’s time for noise that echoes in ballots. Rise, pray, and vote for change