The Student Union of Namibia (SUN) says ordinary Namibians without any connections or relationships to ministers are unable to access tenders or government projects.
SUN president Simon Amunime says mainly the family members and children of government officials benefit from government projects.
This is in response to president Hage Geingob’s remarks on Thursday at State House during a presidential engagement with the country’s youth.
Geingob said young people should start using their qualifications to innovate and create jobs rather than depend on the government for employment.
Amunime says the state does not care about young people, because they will not be there when the youth grow up and struggle to find employment. He says young people are on their own, and whether they go to school or not, they are faced with the same challenges.
This is why many youths turn to crime for survival, he says.
“School does not guarantee you a better future any more,” Amunime says.
He says saying that education is the key to success is not true any more.
Who you know in high places now applies, he says.
Amunime says the ministry of labour, industrial relations, and employment creation does not create employment, and is making a mockery out of people.
“It is time for graduates and the unemployed to unite and do something about it,” he says.
Namibia National Students Organisation spokesperson Esther Shakela says the president has told young people to use their qualifications to create employment.
She says the government is not able to absorb many people, but is willing to support them and their efforts.