- Rising Graduate Unemployment in South Africa: South Africa’s graduate unemployment rate increased from 11.7% to 12.2% in the second quarter of 2025, highlighting ongoing employment challenges for new graduates.
- Individual Struggles of a Graduate Turned Barber: Mr. Mabhitya, a 2023 graduate from Bizana, has turned to barbering to make ends meet after facing rejection due to lack of experience, illustrating the difficulties graduates face in entering the workforce.
- Barbering as a Means of Survival: Despite the hardships, Mr. Mabhitya’s barber tent provides financial support, but he confronts challenges like harsh weather, competition, and licensing fees in his pursuit of livelihood.
South Africa’s graduate unemployment crisis continues to grow, with the national rate rising from 11.7% to 12.2% in the second quarter of 2025. Among those affected is Mr. Mabhitya from Bizana, who graduated in 2023 but has yet to find employment. To make ends meet, he has opened a barber tent in Bizana town—using clippers to chase away poverty.
Barbering has always been part of his life, even during university when it served as a side hustle. Today, it has become his full-time reality. Despite applying for vacancies advertised by government departments and companies, he found himself repeatedly excluded by the common requirement of at least two years’ experience.
“I don’t even care now about getting a job because I’ve accepted the reality of being an unemployed graduate. I’m only hoping for a learnership or internship with funding to gain experience, because I cannot volunteer for free while I have responsibilities and must put food on the table,” he explained.
His barber tent helps him pay his bills, but it has not been easy. He has faced harsh weather conditions, stiff competition, and long processes when applying for a stand through the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality, which requires an annual licensing fee of R250.
Local barbers also believe they face unfair treatment compared to foreign nationals. While many foreign-owned barber tents operate in the CBD, locals are often pushed to the town’s outskirts. One Bizana barber noted that his application for a central stand was rejected—only to see the same space later allocated to a foreign national.
Amid South Africa’s rising unemployment, Bizana’s local barbers and street vendors are calling on the municipality to provide stable shelters and fairer opportunities. They say this support is essential not only for survival, but also for restoring dignity to young South Africans determined to work and provide for their families.
