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After submitting more than 100 job applications and going for 13 job interviews, the 24-year-old from Phalaborwa, Limpopo, is still unemployed and is beginning to lose hope.
“I have improved my eloquence and knowledge about the media and communications industry but nobody wants to employ me,” he says.
“Prospective employers look at me once and giggle as soon as I walk into the room. They probably don’t listen to whatever I say after that.”
Mogale is morbidly obese and believes his weight is the reason he is unemployed.
He completed his degree in media and communications at the University of Limpopo two years ago, but companies are reluctant to give him a chance to use his knowledge.
Online radio station CliffCentral gave him a stint to present sports when one of its sports staff was on leave for a week in August last year, but that’s all the work experience he has had so far.
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“While I am not a person that gives up easily my patience is wearing thin,” he says.
“How can one go to 13 interviews and still be unemployed?
“I may never know the real reason why prospective employers reject me but I strongly believe that it has something to do with my weight. Every time I walk into an interview, the panel giggles or they stare at me in shock.”
Mogale says he has become used to the cruel taunts and staring “and it doesn’t bother me that much because I have always been big and was teased about it while growing up”.
“My biggest concern is when I am discriminated against because of my physical appearance,” he says.
“I think employers probably look at me and think that, ‘He is lazy and would never be equal to the task.’ But that is not true.
“Despite my weight, I am active and I love the media industry. If only somebody would look beyond my physical appearance and give me a chance to prove myself, I would excel.”
