Deputy Speaker, this Bill has certainly been a long time coming. It had its genesis many years ago, as a possible yet only partial solution to the youth unemployment crisis that we are facing in South Africa. Any measure that can in any way reduce our completely unacceptable youth unemployment rate, which is currently over 60%, has to be welcomed.
We urgently have to give our youth a real stake in this economy, if we are going to have any chance of building the united and prosperous South Africa that we all aspire to. We have to give the youth of this country a foot on the economic ladder, so that they can gain the necessary experience and opportunities to build a thriving career. If we deny our youth this opportunity, we will be denying all of us a stable country and a better life for all.
The unemployment figures of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey that Minister Manuel referred to earlier today bear this out. What the Minister quoted, though, was derived only from the narrow definition of unemployment, and he neatly ignored all of those unemployed who have given up hope and have stopped even looking for work. If one includes those figures, then the Western Cape has the lowest rate of discouraged workseekers in the country, 10 times less than that of Gauteng. [Interjections.] The Western Cape is, in fact, offering hope to the unemployed, and this is in part due to the DA government's piloting a form of the youth wage subsidy.
It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the youth have been forced to wait for so many years for this Bill to be passed, as the factional battles within the tripartite alliance have held the dreams of our youth hostage. It should never have been this way. [Interjections.] Close on 3 000 youth, led by the DA, were forced to march on Cosatu House last year in an effort to break the stalemate that had emerged in government over this legislation.
I honour those brave youth today, because they were not afraid to put their bodies on the line to fight for a measure that has the potential to help all the unemployed youth in South Africa. They endured bricks being thrown at them, and they have the scars to prove that they were prepared to go to battle for the unemployed youth of this country. For that I salute them, and let this be seen as their victory. I thank you.