The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape notes the quarterly increase of 4.1% in the expanded unemployment rate of the Northern Cape. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of 2026 confirms that the province, with its expanded unemployment rate of 47%, now experiences its highest levels of unemployment since December 2021.
The provincial government must refocus and redirect its energies from internal political power struggles to the struggle for economic growth. There cannot be bickering about who needs to be MEC when communities are counting the devastating costs of natural disasters sweeping across the landscape. The priority must be to repair and restore infrastructure needed to transport goods across the province.
Reforms are also needed at municipal level to create the environment required for the sustained creation of sustainable economic opportunities. Even established businesses are struggling to survive without reliable water, affordable electricity or proper road networks, which are becoming increasingly commonplace in provincial towns. This is partly because provincial departments fail to pay municipal accounts, thereby stranding municipalities without the cashflow needed to provide basic services.
Until we get our municipalities to work, we will not be able to get our people back to work.