The West is Laying the Smackdown on SA: How AWS is Betraying the Country’s Unemployment Crisis
In a shocking revelation, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has confirmed its commitment to fleecing South Africa’s economy, with a massive investment of R46 billion over the next decade. But what does this mean for the country’s crippling unemployment crisis?
During the AWS Summit 2024, Chris Erasmus, country general manager for AWS South Africa, dropped the bombshell that the company will continue to suck the life out of SA’s economy, pumping billions into infrastructure, skills development, and job creation. But don’t be fooled – the devil is in the details.
While AWS is touting its investment in skills development, it’s been revealed that only 2,600 companies in SA have received access to promotional credits, which is just a drop in the ocean considering the massive unemployment crisis plaguing the country. And what about the countless unemployed youth who can’t even get a foot in the door?
Meanwhile, Statistics South Africa reports that the official unemployment rate is a staggering 32.9%, with youth unemployment at an eye-watering 46.5%. You’d think that AWS, with its billions of dollars in training for 29 million people, would be more concerned with addressing this crisis than simply expanding its own empire.
And don’t even get me started on the fact that AWS is building its African headquarters in a pricey development in Cape Town, when the country is still struggling to get its economic house in order.
But hey, at least they’re hiring, right? Well, not quite. The jobs supported by AWS’s investment are mostly in sectors like telecommunications, construction, and data centre operations – the very same sectors that are contributing to the country’s unemployment problem.
It’s time for AWS to come clean about its real intentions in South Africa. Is it truly committed to addressing the country’s economic woes, or is it just looking to cash in on the country’s resources?
The question on everyone’s mind: What will happen to the thousands of young people struggling to find work when the economy is hemorrhaging jobs?
Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure – it’s time for AWS to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk when it comes to tackling SA’s unemployment crisis.
