Job fair leaves thousands of youth frustrated

Young jobseekers waiting in line at Athlone Stadium for the ‘Day of 1 000 Opportunities’ event, hoping to secure employment. Hundreds of young jobseekers were left frustrated, angry and empty-handed after the City of Cape Town’s “A Day of 1 000 Opportunities” event descended into chaos at Athlone Stadium on Thursday. The much-hyped initiative, aimed at connecting unemployed youth to jobs in the contact centre industry, drew a massive crowd, with around 25 000 people pitching up, far exceeding capacity.

Many hopefuls had been queuing from as early as 4am, only to be turned away when gates were closed. A visibly upset Zara Gamieldien said: “I have been here since 4am and got this s**t service. It is disappointing to say the least.” For Kagiso Monametsi, the day meant wasted money after paying for transport just to be turned away. Others described scenes of panic as crowds surged outside the venue.