SOPA 2026 | Province to train motorcycle riders to put youth on road to employment

If the Eastern Cape’s unemployment crisis cannot be fixed overnight, premier Oscar Mabuyane believe a partial solution can at least be delivered — preferably by motorbike. In a nod to the province’s fast-growing appetite for online shopping, Mabuyane this week pledged to equip unemployed young people with motorbike skills and licences so they could tap into the expanding e-commerce market. Delivering his state of the province address at the Bhisho legislature, Mabuyane said digital platforms were opening up new avenues for entrepreneurship and youth employment as more consumers turned to services such as Sixty60, UberEATS, TakeALot, Mr Delivery, Loot and TEMU.

While urging legislators to “think outside the box” when addressing youth unemployment, he said the province, working with digital platforms, organised business and municipalities, would train, license, equip and onboard young people as last-mile delivery operators. “E-commerce is growing in our province, and it presents opportunities for entrepreneurs and job opportunities for the youth. “Customers who want a Kota culture wrap from Mdantsane or iTshisanyama from eMbuqe must be able to get it delivered conveniently wherever they are,” he said.

Our focus is on skills transfer, entrepreneurship, integrating digital skills, green economy and artisan training The proposal comes against the backdrop of worsening labour statistics. Latest quarterly labour force survey results show unemployment in the Eastern Cape increased in the fourth quarter of 2025,with 32,000 jobs lost. “Even though we lost jobs, a few sectors still showed pockets of growth,” Mabuyane said.

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“The trade sector made the biggest positive contribution, adding 23,000 jobs as activity picked up towards year-end. “The Eastern Cape has immense potential and together, we must unlock it. As government, we are creating pathways to jobs for our people.

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