Whether they’re behind a trombone, a fuel pump, or a laptop, SA’s youth are working, studying and most importantly hoping.
In a country where youth unemployment stood at 62.4% in the first three months of 2025, many young people are forced to pursue their futures on multiple fronts while holding down jobs, chasing qualifications, and still finding the strength to dream.
For Aubrey Matsila, a 22-year-old jazz trombonist and first-year master's student in geoscience at Wits University, the path has never been linear but always purposeful.
“I originally went to Parktown Boys to play soccer but when I got there, all the drums in the school band were taken, so they handed me a trombone. I didn’t know what it was, but I gave it a shot and I fell in love with it.”
Matsila has been playing music since the age of six but even as music consumed his life, he couldn’t shake his childhood fascination with science.
“Since I was about 10 or 12, I’ve been fascinated by natural disasters. So I decided to pursue earth sciences at Stellenbosch, where I did my undergrad and honours. There are times I’m drained. I’ll have gigs in Swaziland, then fly to Cape Town, and still have research deadlines to meet, but I’ve developed a system, I study early, work ahead on projects and try to balance both worlds,” he said.
Young South Africans push forward despite economic hurdles
Youth are resilient and driven in pursuit of a better future
Image: Supplied
Whether they’re behind a trombone, a fuel pump, or a laptop, SA’s youth are working, studying and most importantly hoping.
In a country where youth unemployment stood at 62.4% in the first three months of 2025, many young people are forced to pursue their futures on multiple fronts while holding down jobs, chasing qualifications, and still finding the strength to dream.
For Aubrey Matsila, a 22-year-old jazz trombonist and first-year master's student in geoscience at Wits University, the path has never been linear but always purposeful.
“I originally went to Parktown Boys to play soccer but when I got there, all the drums in the school band were taken, so they handed me a trombone. I didn’t know what it was, but I gave it a shot and I fell in love with it.”
Matsila has been playing music since the age of six but even as music consumed his life, he couldn’t shake his childhood fascination with science.
“Since I was about 10 or 12, I’ve been fascinated by natural disasters. So I decided to pursue earth sciences at Stellenbosch, where I did my undergrad and honours. There are times I’m drained. I’ll have gigs in Swaziland, then fly to Cape Town, and still have research deadlines to meet, but I’ve developed a system, I study early, work ahead on projects and try to balance both worlds,” he said.
Matsila said he felt the need to do both because the music industry is very unpredictable.
“Covid-19 showed me how unstable the music industry can be. I realised I needed to build more than one path. I’m passionate about music, but I also need something I can fall back on,” he said.
Meanwhile, Amogelang Ramatena, 24, from Rustenburg, is also chasing stability while refusing to give up on her big dreams. She’s currently completing her postgraduate diploma in journalism while working as a communications assistant through a SETA-funded internship, one that she said pays below minimum wage.
“I hardly earn enough to cover rent and transport. Most people in my life think I’m doing really well. They don’t know how little I earn. They think I’ve made it because I work in an office,” she said.
She has many dreams from becoming a travel or sports journalist, to running a food and culture blog.
“I like fast-paced things, airports, stadiums, street food but right now, I’m learning to be patient.,” she said.
“I want to secure freelance opportunities. I want to be seen and to anyone in my position, I’d say: build your name, put your work out there, and don’t stop applying,” she said.
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