Unemployment biggest disappointment of S.Africa: OECD

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) — The persistent high rate of unemployment is the weakest point in South Africa's post-apartheid economy, with the education system failing to produce skilled workers, the OECD said on Tuesday.

In a report unveiled in the financial capital Johannesburg, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said the jobless rate, which unofficial estimates put at nearly 40 percent, was not only damaging the economy but also fuelling high levels of inequality.

"The most disappointing aspect of post-apartheid economic performance is the emergence and persistence of extreme levels of unemployment, particularly for less-skilled younger blacks," said the report.

"The phenomenon of persistent extreme unemployment is bound up with the failure of the education system to deliver enough skilled workers to the labour force," it added.

Since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has cemented its position as Africa's leading economy with an average ...