There is little hope in sight for the hundreds of thousands of unemployed people across the Eastern Cape who are battling to survive a devastating cost-of-living crisis.
Just 23 000 additional jobs were created in the province over the last quarter, which resulted in a nominal drop in the second quarter unemployment rate.
The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for April to June 2023, released today, shows that unemployment in the province stands at 39.7%, down from 40% in the first quarter.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the few jobs created, but it is cold comfort to the hundreds of thousands of individuals unable to find work and forced into poverty, hunger, and hardship.
Crumbling infrastructure and collapsing service delivery at the hands of deployed cadres are devastating small towns across the province. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that the expanded unemployment rate in non-metro areas is at 49.3%.
For every person who has a job in the rural areas of our province, there is another individual with no work.
Instead of dealing with the collapse and decay, the ANC has embarked on creating further hurdles for businesses. The new Race Quotas Act threatens the very social fabric of South African society by replicating apartheid-era race quotas in the labour market under the guise of employment equity.
The ANC’s race law will be particularly devastating for coloured and Indian South Africans, with quotas set at 0.0% for these groups in various sectors. Research also shows that, in order to comply with the ANC Race Quota Act, over 600 000 South Africans from all backgrounds will need to be replaced in their existing jobs because they have the “wrong” skin colour.
We have turned to the courts to have this Act declared unconstitutional. The DA is also fighting for relief measures that will make a real difference to those still unable to find work, such as having VAT removed from certain food items, cutting fuel levies to reduce transport costs, and increasing child grants.
The DA has a plan to rejuvenate small towns, creating environments where businesses will want to set up shop and where our people can once again thrive. The DA will continue to fight for the people of this province to ensure that they can find work and dignity.
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