Saturday, 16 August 2025.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) notes, with great concern, the announcement of the closure of tyre manufacturer Goodyear in Kariega, Eastern Cape, which will see over 900 workers lose their jobs. This comes at a time when South Africa is drowning in unemployment, with the Eastern Cape recording one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, sitting at 49% under the expanded definition.

The closure of Goodyear is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader collapse of what little industry remains in our country. As it stands, Murray and Roberts, a major South African construction company is in the process of liquidation, while  over the past two years, we have witnessed the scaling down of major companies such as Continental’s Conti-Tech, and Aspen Pharmacare resulting in severe retrenchments.

Additionally, ArcelorMittal is on track to shut down its Vereeniging and Newcastle longsteel plants next month, placing over 3,500 workers at risk along with other downstream industries. These closures represent the destruction of jobs, the erosion of industrial capacity, the death of local economies, and the instability of entire communities.

The Goodyear closure is a reminder that South Africa’s economy is stagnant and leaderless, with no clear programme for industrialisation, manufacturing, or job creation. The ANC government has failed to protect our people from poverty and unemployment, and it has failed to offer any hope of economic transformation.

This corporate exodus also highlights an incompetent government which has failed to defend the working class. Workers who have worked for Goodyear for years are struggling to secure the requisite retrenchment packages, being offered amounts as low as R50 000 after 20 years of service. This government allows multinational corporations to profiteer off our labour, benefit from state subsidies and tax incentives, and then abandon our people when it is convenient to do so. Workers are discarded like waste, while no plan exists to reskill, redeploy, or empower them.

We stand in solidarity with the workers of Goodyear, with their families, and with the broader community of Kariega and the Eastern Cape who will feel the devastating impact of this closure. The EFF will continue to fight alongside workers to defend jobs, to challenge government inaction, and to build an economy where industry thrives and  serves the people.

ISSUED BY ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Sinawo Thambo (National Spokesperson) 072 629 7422

Thembi Msane (National Spokesperson) 061 467 8169

Andiswa Madikazi (Parliament Media Liason) 069 516 4924

Thato Lebyane (Media Inquiries) 078 563 1581