They are not old. But they are no longer “youth.”
They are not lazy. But they have nothing to wake up for.
They are not hopeless. But their hope is hanging on by a thread.
South Africa is quietly nursing a crisis we don’t talk about enough—the silent, slow suffocation of the over-35 generation. The men and women who, due to the failings of systems meant to equip them, are now stranded in the middle of nowhere—too old for youth development programs, too young to give up on life, and yet, invisible to policy-makers and employers.
This is not a complaint. This is a cry.
A cry from those who were promised that if they waited, worked, and played by the rules, opportunity would find them.
A cry from those who were told, “your time will come.”
But that time never did.
Left Behind by Time and Policy
South Africa’s youth unemployment rate is among the highest in the world—45.5% as of Q1 2024, according to Stats SA. This alone is a national emergency. But within that storm lies a quieter tragedy: those who were once considered youth, now over 35, who aged out of the only support systems that ever had them on the radar.
This generation, now 35–50, grew up in the turbulence of transition. Many entered adulthood just as apartheid ended, in the promise of a new South Africa. But the promise didn’t land on everyone. Many were failed by an education system that was still bleeding, never equipped with entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy, or a clear path to employment.
They were told: “Go to school, behave, wait your turn.”
But “your turn” expired at 35.
And now?
Now they are too old for youth initiatives, but too poor, unemployed, and under-skilled to qualify for middle-class jobs. The economy has no place for them. The job market has no mercy for them. And society has no language to explain their suffering.
A Wound That Festers in Silence
And so, they sit.
In townships.
In backrooms.
On corners.
In queues they’ve lost faith in.
Watching their youth fade and their dignity erode.
This exclusion breeds more than poverty—it breeds rage.
It is not by accident that we see increasing levels of aggression, gender-based violence, crime, and hopelessness among this age group. When you trap a man long enough and take away every door, every window, even light becomes a threat.
These are not violent people.
They are violated people.
They are not angry by nature.
They are angry by neglect.
The Damage is Deep
This group—those 35 and above—are in many ways a policy orphanage.
They are the generation most likely to be:
- Unemployed with no income.
- Unable to qualify for learnerships (due to age restrictions).
- Barred from youth funding and entrepreneurship grants.
- Lacking basic skills due to poor or interrupted education.
- Carrying the trauma of fatherlessness, poverty, and failed social systems.
They are not only unemployable by formal standards—but unseen by opportunity.
They are South Africa’s forgotten workforce—and it is destroying them.
What Now?
We need to stop age-limiting economic access.
We need programs that understand development was delayed, not denied.
We need to create second-chance systems, tailored for the over-35s.
We need to see these men and women not as expired youth—but as untapped potential.
They are still strong. Still willing. Still capable of building homes, raising families, leading businesses. They are just asking for a fair shot.
A Movement is Rising
At Imbizo ya Madoda, this pain was voiced with trembling hands and heavy hearts. A man stood up and asked, “What happens to us who are no longer defined as youth but are still suffering?”
And the room went quiet—because everyone knew: he wasn’t asking a question.
He was making a declaration.
A cry for visibility.
A cry for dignity.
A cry for life.
And we heard him.
We see him.
We see them.
This is where the movement begins—not with budgets and blueprints—but with compassion, courage, and commitment.
We are building something that says:
You are not too old to start again.
You are not too late to matter.
You are not invisible to God.
And you will never be invisible to us again.
For those who’ve aged out of youth programs but never into opportunity—
You are the reason we fight.
You are the reason we rise.
And we will not rest until you rise with us.
Written with brokenness and boldness. For the over-35s. We see you. 📍 Kingdom Life City Church, 62 Cornelius Rd, Albemarle, Germiston, 1401
📧 admin@klcc.co.za
