Unemployed man searching for job at traffic light goes viral
- Ayanda Mbatha is one man who is not waiting for an opportunity to fall in his lap
- He was photographed standing at a traffic light, holding a sign that lets people know he is looking for job
- The post went viral and South Africans have overwhelmed him with their support
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The current situation in South Africa is heartbreaking - thousands of people are unemployed, including graduates who thought that getting an education would help them land a job.
However, while many wait on the government to create job opportunities, one man decided to take matters into his own hands.
Ayanda Mbatha is a mechanical engineering technician who was retrenched in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Instead of losing hope, Mbatha, 26, decided to take his battle to the streets. He printed out CVs and made a sign that summed up his qualifications.
Mbatha made his way to the Katherine and West Street traffic lights to ask South Africans for help. However, he was chased away by security guards.
The engineer then went to the Hyde Park Corner traffic light intersection and was overwhelmed with support.
He stood at the traffic light for three weeks from 8am till 5pm every day and many people took his CV.
A photo of Mbatha standing at the intersection was posted on social media and it went viral.
Source: Twitter
Twitter parody account Man's Not Barry Roux shared Mbatha's photo on the social media platform and asked Saffas to retweet for awareness.
Take a look at the post below:
Speaking to Briefly.co.za, Mbatha revealed his efforts at the traffic light and the exposure online has proved to be very effective.
He said:
"I'm proud that I did that because now I have been receiving telephone interviews from recruiters and things are promising."
Thus far, Mbatha has been to four interviews and he even spoke to Darren Scott at 93.8 Mix FM. A woman, Kathrin Trumpelmann, also offered Mbatha her services. The recruiter has been helping him land interviews.
Mbatha revealed another person he is grateful to is Briony Liber - who has become his career coach free of charge.
He thanked South Africans for their help in his search for a job:
"South Africans who are trying to help me have been amazing. They have all showed me their good hearts. They also have offered great advice and some of them have supported me in more ways than one.
"South Africans who have been trying to help me have showed me the South Africa we need for the future. Nothing beats a South African and they have been opening their hearts out to me in a big way."
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In other news, a Nigerian lady identified as Mfon Abia has taken to social media to celebrate after being offered a job she did not apply for in the United States.
She said she got a call from The Academy, Miami, Florida, offering her a job and asking her to send her CV if she was interested.
Unemployed graduates are too many in my ghetto | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
Tunde Ososanya Tunde Ososanya, a former senior editor, is a graduate of Mass Communication from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism. He's passionate about what he does and finds fulfilment in informing the people. Ososanya is the author of Later Tonight: a Collection of Short Stories.
Khadijah Thabit (Copyeditor) Khadijah Thabit is an editor with over 3 years of experience editing and managing contents such as articles, blogs, newsletters and social leads. She has a BA in English and Literary Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Khadijah joined Legit.ng in September 2020 as a copyeditor and proofreader for the Human Interest, Current Affairs, Business, Sports and PR desks. As a grammar police, she develops her skills by reading novels and dictionaries. Email: khadeeejathabit@gmail.com
