Thousands march for jobs in Johannesburg

Thousands of people took to the streets in downtown Johannesburg on Wednesday to press their demand for jobs.

Chanting and dancing, the protesters voiced their anger over the government's inability to create jobs.

The Johannesburg CBD was turned into a wave of blue as the protesters went through the streets, wearing blue shirts and caps, the symbolic colour of the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), which organized the march.

With South Africa's unemployment hovering around 25 percent, the party believes more can be done to create jobs.

"We march today for jobs. We march for the freedom that having work brings," said DA leader Mmusi Maimane, who led the march.

"We are here today because we believe that the hope for our nation, that the only way out of poverty, is always through a job," he said to the cheering crowd.

Creating jobs must be the next national cause because the entire country's future is at risk, he said.

"We cannot build a prosperous future for South Africa when 8.4 million South Africans are excluded and have no hope, no sense of belonging," said Maimane.

The march went on peacefully under the watchful eye of police.

"We are not here to cause trouble but to demand jobs," said a protester who identified himself only as Lugani.

He said he had been seeking a job for three months but to no avail.

Lugani said he had a family of four to support and they found it very hard to make a living.

As food prices went up, life would be even harder, he said.

"Everyone is paying more for food, everyone is paying more for transport. Throughout the country, people have been telling me that it is getting more difficult to find work, even piece work. Even those with jobs feel unsure about their future, and they worry for their families," Maimane said.

The DA launched a billboard in downtown Johannesburg 20 days ago with a rolling ticker, showing the number of South Africans who have joined the ranks of the jobless since Jacob Zuma became president in 2009.

On January 7, the ticker stood at 1.84 million people. In the past 20 days, more than 15,000 South Africans have been added to this number, more than 770 every day.

Maimane said South Africa will only be truly liberated if ordinary people have jobs.

South Africa is in desperate need of change that can bring equal opportunities to the poorest of the poor, he said. Enditem