Tuesday, 18 February 2025

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) notes with deep concern the latest Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey figures for the fourth quarter of 2024, released by Statistics South Africa today, which confirm that the crisis of joblessness remains a structural disaster under the incompetent leadership of the DA-ANC coalition. The reported decrease of 0.2 percentage points in the unemployment rate, bringing it to 31.9%, is a meaningless and hollow statistic when viewed against the backdrop of South Africa’s dire economic conditions and persistent inequality.

While the economy reportedly added 132,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2024, this marginal increase does nothing to address the deep levels of poverty and deprivation, particularly among Black Africans, who continue to bear the brunt of economic exclusion. The fact that Black African unemployment remains at a staggering 35.8%, with Black African women facing an even worse unemployment rate of 38%, is further proof that the ANC government has failed to build an economy that serves the majority of the people.

Moreover, the so-called improvement in employment is deceptive. Firstly, the rise in employment in the December period is a seasonal one as there is an increase in demand for casual workers during that period. However, these are not sustainable jobs and we cannot celebrate them as the likelihood is high that most of those who were employed casually in December have already rejoined the unemployed. Secondly, the number of discouraged job seekers has risen by 111,000 to 3.5 million, meaning more people have simply given up looking for work.

The expanded unemployment rate remains alarmingly high at 41.9%, proving that joblessness is still one of the most severe social ills confronting South Africa. In provinces such as North West, Eastern Cape, and Mpumalanga, the expanded unemployment rates have skyrocketed above 47%, showing that economic opportunities remain concentrated in select regions while vast parts of the country are left to rot in poverty.

The ANC’s failure to industrialise the economy is further exposed by the fact that crucial sectors such as agriculture, mining, construction, and trade all suffered job losses, proving that the government lacks a plan to create sustainable employment in key industries. The growth in finance and manufacturing is far from sufficient to offset these losses, and the continued decline in industries that should be the backbone of our economy only deepens the crisis.

Young people remain the biggest casualties of this unemployment catastrophe, with 39.4% of those aged 25-34 jobless. The DA-ANC government has completely abandoned the youth, offering them no access to quality jobs, education, or skills development programs that would enable them to participate in the economy meaningfully.

The EFF reiterates that South Africa needs a radical shift towards a state-led industrialisation program, mass job creation through infrastructure development, and the nationalisation of strategic sectors to ensure economic inclusion. Currently, the government has evidently completely abandoned the political will to create jobs, and nothing in our government spending points to any tangible solutions in this regard.

In fact, what we have is a private sector-driven economy, championed by the DA and ANC, which continues to entrench racialised poverty, where Black people—especially Black women—are systematically excluded from opportunities while white South Africans enjoy an unemployment rate as low as 6.7%.

We reject the illusion of progress being sold by this government and call for urgent measures to transform the economy. The EFF remains committed to policies that will bring about meaningful change, including land expropriation without compensation, the establishment of state-owned banks and enterprises, and free, decolonised education to upskill our people for the economy of the future.

ISSUED BY THE ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Leigh-Ann Mathys (National Spokesperson) 082 304 7572

Thato Lebyane (Media Enquiries) 078 304 7572