Amid the ongoing rise in unemployment rates, Lieutenant General Nlanhla Mkhvanazi called on the government to increase job opportunities by executing parts of public infrastructure works with state resources, rather than handing these tasks over to contractors through tenders.
The KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nlanhla Mkhvanazi, stated that the government is capable of combating both crime and youth unemployment by creating jobs through the implementation of public infrastructure projects, instead of outsourcing the majority of the work.
Mkhvanazi, who also heads the National Task Team on Organized Crime, made these statements during the Parliamentary Summit on Gangs and Violence on Wednesday. He insisted that the government's approach to tendering for public construction projects needs to be reviewed as a means of generating employment opportunities.
He raised the issue of corruption in tenders, noting: 'Today we are fighting tender corruption, and we ask ourselves: with such a high level of unemployment, why should the government tender for the construction of a school?' Tender corruption is widespread in South Africa, often involving manipulation of procurement processes, inflated prices, conflicts of interest, and awarding of government contracts to politically connected individuals or companies. This results in public funds being diverted from vital services and infrastructure needs.
Mkhvanazi suggested that unemployed graduates could be involved in supervising construction sites, while people without formal education could work in other roles, such as artisans. He explained: 'There are children who studied engineering. They can supervise the construction of a school. There are people without such education whom the government can hire to mix cement and lift bricks as artisans.'
This method, in his opinion, can be applied when building schools, clinics, hospitals, and police stations, as well as constructing road infrastructure. He criticized the practice of outsourcing, saying: 'We have a road. We even outsource the clearing of a gravel road as the government. Why should the government do this? It is this outsourcing that breeds criminality.'
The police chief noted that excessive outsourcing also contributes to unemployment by depriving people of significant opportunities. He added: 'And what happens then? People remain jobless. And when people are idle, they sit around doing nothing. And someone said: 'An aimless mind is the devil's playground'. '
These comments came against the backdrop of South Africa's official unemployment rate reaching 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, highlighting persistent labor market challenges in the country. According to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey from Statistics South Africa, the number of unemployed increased by 345,000 people, reaching 8.5 million between April and June, while the number of employed decreased by 16,000 people to 16.7 million.
The labor force grew by 329,000 people during the quarter, as more people entered or returned to the labor market. This led to an increase in the official unemployment rate by 0.9 percentage points compared to 32.7% in the first quarter. The highest officially registered unemployment rate in South Africa was 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021. With a broader expanded definition that includes people who have stopped looking for work, unemployment exceeded 46% during the same pandemic-affected period.
Mkhvanazi emphasized that unemployment and lack of decent opportunities must be viewed as part of a broader response to the problem of banditry and crime. He believed that the government needs to address the root causes contributing to crime, rather than relying solely on law enforcement agencies. 'If we want to find a solution for gangs in the Western Cape or anywhere else in the country, we must consider this holistic problem-solving environment.'
He called for a collective, non-partisan approach to solving the country's crime and unemployment crises. 'We really must take off our political party flags and badges and return as citizens and ask: what is the problem and how to solve it?'
Mkhvanazi reported that SAPS leadership took note of the discussions held at the summit and will liaise with its national headquarters regarding possible crisis response measures. 'We appreciate this engagement, all chairpersons and members, and as SAPS leadership, we took notes. We will follow up and contact our headquarters to try to understand what we can do to adjust in the plan for responding to this crisis.'