Youth Turn to Alcohol and Crime due Unemployment Crisis, Says Job Amupanda

Katima Mulilo, Namibia – Affirmative Repositioning leader, Job Amupanda, has raised alarm over the growing hopelessness among young people in Namibia due to rampant unemployment. Speaking during a media conference on Tuesday at Katima Mulilo, Amupanda emphasized that many of the country's youth have "given up on life," resorting to alcohol and drug abuse as they struggle to find work.

Amupanda shared his experiences from visits to informal settlements in the town, where he encountered a young man who admitted to spending his days intoxicated. "The young man told me he abuses alcohol and drugs on a daily basis, and when he does not have money, he robs people for drug and alcohol money," Amupanda recounted.

The activist pointed out that this is not an isolated incident but a reflection of the struggles faced by many young people across the Zambezi region and Namibia as a whole. "Young people have nothing else to do but abuse drugs and alcohol. That is the case for many youth in the Zambezi region and the country," he added.

Amupanda stressed the urgency of addressing these problems, noting that the nation's future is at stake. "We can’t have a situation where we govern a country of which the youth has given up on life,” he warned.

Glenn Shebo, a socio-economic activist based in Kongola, supported Amupanda's concerns, emphasizing that poverty, drug addiction, and alcohol abuse have become rampant in the region. Shebo highlighted how unemployment has driven many young people to engage in criminal activities, including sex work and poaching, in desperate attempts to survive.

“The prisons are now filling up with young people who are forced to take part in criminal activities due to a lack of employment opportunities. Young girls engage in transactional sex just to get money to buy basic needs,” Shebo said.

He further highlighted the plight of young Namibians who, despite their potential, are unable to afford higher education. "These young people are brilliant, but due to financial challenges, not many make it to universities. If they are fortunate enough to go and complete their degrees, they just come back and remain unemployed," Shebo explained.

The result, he added, is a growing number of youth falling into despair. "They then slowly lose hope. Many take their own lives, and those who remain join the underworld, where the law of the jungle applies."

As Namibia grapples with its unemployment crisis, the voices of activists like Amupanda and Shebo highlight the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to address youth unemployment and create opportunities that prevent young people from losing hope.