More than 20 years ago Isaac Manyozo (46) enrolled in the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) for an Applied Biology and Bio-Chemistry degree. His dream was to obtain employment in one of the thriving food manufacturing factories that existed at that time.
After graduating in 1995, the young Manyozo worked as a temporary teacher at various schools while searching for and hoping to get an employment opportunity in his chosen field.
This was not to be. His employment prospects grew ever darker as the country’s economy continued to deteriorate year after year.
Menial labour
Frustrated by the poor salaries and working conditions at government schools, Manyozo left in 1999. He taught at various private colleges before eventually leaving for Botswana in 2007 at the height of the economic crisis.
“In Botswana I did menial labour such as assisting brick layers. The formalities of getting a proper permit for someone of my profession in that country were so rigorous and cumbersome that I ended up settling for whatever job I could find – just to put food on the table of my starving family back home” said Manyozo in an interview with The Zimbabwean.
Following the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2009, Manyozo returned home optimistic that things would change for the better. Instead he found himself just one of thousands of university and tertiary college graduates who are increasingly working in the most basic, menial jobs such as vending, touting and taxi driving.
He now survives by repairing shoes and hand bags at Basic shopping centre in Tshabalala Township in Bulawayo. “I have given up all hope of finding suitable employment because the food industry, which I specialised in, is continuously shrinking. A friend of mine, also a graduate, taught me how to repair old shoes and now this is how I survive,” said Manyozo.
Down the drain
He makes an average of $20 per day repairing shoes. He is bitter and embarrassed because he cannot adequately look after his parents who gave up all their earthly possessions so that their son could get a good education. He finds it hard enough just to sustain his own family of four.
“The skills that I acquired all those years ago at university have gone down the drain. I blame the government for the predicament that I and many other graduates find themselves in,” he says. Despite the shrinking prospects of employment opportunities in the country, Manyozo still urges parents to send their children to schools and universities.
“The future is bright for future graduates. Education is important. What we need is a change in government leadership. We need younger people with new and fresh ideas. We do not need the same moribund individuals who do not have a clue of how to lure investors,” he said.
Impediment
He blasted the country’s indigenisation laws and policies as being one of the impediments that hamper investment in this country. At least 30 000 graduates are churned out by universities and tertiary colleges annually, but most of them fail to secure employment due to the declining job opportunities in the shrinking economy. This situation has not improved over the past 10 years.
The country‘s unemployment rate is higher than 85% and more and more people are becoming jobless every day as more companies close down as a result of the harsh economic conditions.
A recent survey carried out by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) revealed that 711 companies in Harare closed their doors during the period July 2013 to July 2014, rendering about 8 336 individuals jobless. This is in addition to more than 90 companies that closed up shop in Bulawayo since 2010 putting more than 20,000 workers out onto the street.
Post published in: Business