Coming up on
Special Assignment this week:
Episode title: Scraping the bottom of the barrel
Broadcast date: Thursday, 17 May 2012
Teaser ...
As part of Youth month, this week’s Special Assignment takes a relook at the challenge of unemployment in South Africa.
On a daily basis when people wake up to go to their various workplaces, a group of young men go down the drains of Johannesburg, risking their health by coming into contact with human excretion and hazardous chemicals – looking for lost jewellery to sell to second hand shops. For the past 10 years, this has been a means of survival for an increasing number of men, who have lost all hope of ever finding employment.
This programme exposes this sad state of affairs, and brings you compelling visuals of the lengths to which people are willing to go in order to put food on their tables.
These are people who are not young or old enough to qualify for the state social grant and are also not living with any disabilities to receive special grants. This means that they are trapped in-between, without many opportunities to either create employment themselves or be employed elsewhere.
We highlight the reality of joblessness and the human beings behind the 24 percent unemployment rate of South Africa.
They come from all corners of this country and in some instances; siblings recruit one another, to be part of this activity. With an average turnover of around R1000 per day from the sale of the jewellery they find, this illegal business is definitely putting food on their tables. But, at what price?
How far will you go to ensure your survival?
Scraping the bottom of the barrel is produced by Godknows Nare.
Special Assignment is on SABC3 on Thursdays at 21h00.