The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape notes that the Quarterly Labour Force Survey on the first quarter of 2025 reports annual and quarterly increases in both the expanded and official unemployment rates for the province, bringing it to 43% and 29.5% respectively.
In practical terms, it means that two out of every five people in the province remain unemployed. We urge the provincial government to use the opportunity presented by the pending re-tabling of the provincial budget to adopt a real agenda for growth and economic development, beyond promises about industrial parks built in towns without the necessary bulk infrastructure or special economic zones driven by an agency that remains under investigation by the SIU for maladministration.
We need provincial spending that supports deserving SMMEs and entrepreneurs with sustainable ideas instead of functioning as a vehicle of political patronage. Businesses are too burdened by government inefficiencies to thrive and to create the kind of jobs needed by our communities. As provincial departments fail to pay municipal accounts on time and in full, for example, municipalities are left without the cash flow needed to deliver reliable water or affordable electricity services and businesses simply cannot grow.
Unless the provincial government acts, we will continue to see increased levels of unemployment, poverty, and desperation in each quarter.