Dr Iqbal Survé Calls for Digital-Driven Youth Employment at Future of Jobs Summit

Sekunjalo Group chairman Dr Iqbal Survé delivered a passionate and personal address at the 2025 Future of Jobs Summit held at the DP World Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Thursday.

Speaking alongside civic and business leaders, including Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero, FNB South Africa’s Head of Marketing Katlego Mahloane, and Gauteng Legislature’s Dulton Keith Adams, Dr Survé used the platform to spotlight the role of technology and media in combating South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis.

Receiving a warm welcome from delegates, Dr Survé veered off-script at moments to share anecdotes from his journey — from a young medical doctor to leading a multi-billion-rand conglomerate with over 8 000 employees. Half of them, he proudly noted, are black African youth under 35.

“Sekunjalo doesn’t just talk about youth empowerment — we live it, breathe it, and invest in it daily,” he told the audience.

“This is why today’s conversation isn’t theoretical for us. It’s practical. It’s urgent.”Dr Survé highlighted Sekunjalo’s investments across energy, media, ICT, e-commerce, and telecommunications, and drew attention to the group's philanthropic work supporting youth entrepreneurship and education through Survé Philanthropies.

Focusing on the summit's core theme — jobs for the future — Survé zeroed in on digital transformation.

He shared the inspiring story of Thato Joseph Mashifane, a young man from Dennilton in Limpopo who, after losing his job, turned to TikTok with a comedic character named "Sis Maria."

With just a smartphone, broomstick, and a laptop, Mashifane has built a social media empire with over 1.3 million TikTok followers, turning content creation into a sustainable career.“This is the power of media and technology,” said Survé.

“If one young South African can rewrite his future with a smartphone and passion, imagine what millions could achieve.”

The summit comes amid sobering statistics. Youth unemployment among South Africans aged 15-24 has surged to 62.4%, according to Statistics South Africa’s latest social profile report. Survé called the figure not just alarming, but morally unacceptable.

“That number represents more than 4.8 million young people waking up without economic dignity or hope.”Still, he urged delegates to view the demographic youth bulge not as a crisis, but as South Africa’s greatest opportunity.

“With 37% of our population under 20, we must act now. We must harness the global digital economy as a launchpad for youth transformation.”

Referencing Deloitte and Business Research Company reports, Dr Survé outlined booming sectors — including AI, media tech, gaming, and cybersecurity — that are generating millions of jobs globally.“

Are we preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies we haven’t invented, to solve problems we don’t even know about yet?” he asked, quoting U.S. Secretary Richard Riley. “I choose to believe we are.”

Closing his speech to applause, Survé reiterated his call for stronger collaboration between the private and public sectors to scale tech-driven opportunities.

“Our youth are not liabilities. They are our single greatest asset. Let’s give them the tools, the platforms, and the belief to rise.

”The summit, led by Dr Nik Eberl of The Future Leader Forum, continues this week with a series of innovation labs and youth-led panels exploring solutions for job creation in South Africa’s digital era.