Qualified but Jobless: The Harsh Truth Behind Post-Apartheid Dreams

In this powerful and eye-opening episode of The Security Guy’d, we sit down with Luvuyo Sixaba, a Quality Assurance Compliance Officer with a story that challenges everything we thought freedom would bring.

Growing up in the Eastern Cape during apartheid, Luvuyo navigated a deliberately broken education system under the promise that democracy would one day unlock opportunity. He beat the odds, earned a Chemical Engineering degree from UWC, and like many in his generation, believed that qualification was the key to a better life.

But reality was far more complicated.

Despite his degree, Luvuyo found himself unemployed, disillusioned, and part of a generation whose dreams of economic liberation were deferred. From becoming a teacher out of necessity, to eventually forging a new path in SABS compliance and quality assurance, his story is one of grit, adaptation, and hard truths about post-apartheid South Africa.

🎧 Tune in to hear:

• What it was really like going to school under apartheid
• The emotional toll of being educated but unemployed
• How Luvuyo found purpose in compliance and quality assurance
• Why the promises of democracy remain unfulfilled for many
• The critical role of standards in building a better South Africa

This episode is more than a career story—it’s a reality check, a history lesson, and a call to reflect on what freedom should mean.

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:41 Growing up in the Eastern Cape
• 2:56 Apartheid Era Education
• 11:12 Going to UWC
• 19:16 Graduated with no Job options
• 21:23 Getting a Teaching opportunity
• 22:24 No opportunity in the Townships
• 23:59 New Career In Chemical Engineering
• 28:17 No Freedom for the masses
• 36:33 SABS Compliance
• 57:35 Outro