Thousands brave heat and long queues, hoping to get army job

Munyai Uadivha, 23, is so desperate to find work that he queued for more than 20 hours, praying for any kind of job in the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) during a mass recruitment drive in Limpopo this week. Undeterred by the 31°C heat and a possible mismatch between his agriculture qualifications and what the defence force does, Uadivha and hundreds of other hopeful youths packed the Thohoyandou stadium for two days to file their CVs. “I’m willing to do whatever job I can be offered because my family is starting to give up on me ever getting a job,” he told Sowetan.

“There were already 429 people in front of me. I queued until the SANDF closed at 3pm, and unfortunately, I could not submit because there were still a lot of people in front of me,” he said. “I arrived at the stadium around 6am today [Tuesday] and I was able to submit my CV around 3pm,” he told Sowetan.

“I’m willing to do whatever job I can be offered because my family is starting to give up on me ever getting a job.” — Munyai Uadivha Uadivha said transport to the stadium cost him R160 that he got from his mother, a security guard, who is the only person working in the family. “My father and three older siblings are unemployed.” Uadivha said he was willing to take any job that comes his way. “I have realised that jobs in agriculture are scarce, and I am willing to take anything because waking up and doing nothing the whole day is frustrating,” he said.