The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) note the release by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the second quarter of 2026, which confirms that South Africa’s unemployment crisis continues to worsen. According to the statistics, the official unemployment rate increased from 32.7% in Q1 to 33.6% in Q2 2026.

The number of unemployed people increased by 345,000 to 8.481 million, with the broader rate combining unemployment and the potential labour force standing at 43.8%, while overall labour underutilisation is 46.3%.

The QLFS also confirms that the unemployment crisis continues to disproportionately affect women. In Q2 2026, 4.373 million women were unemployed, an increase of 219,000 in one quarter and 224,000 compared to the same quarter in 2025. Female unemployment therefore stands at 37.5%, compared with 30.3% among men.

These figures are particularly significant during Women’s Month, because they expose the gap between government’s rhetoric about empowering women and the economic reality confronting millions of women. Women continue to face higher unemployment while carrying a disproportionate burden of household survival and unpaid care.

The QLFS further records 5 million unemployed young people aged 15–34, with youth unemployment at 47.4%. Among those aged 15–24, 36.4% are not in employment, education or training. The EFF holds National Treasury directly accountable for an economic policy framework that continues to prioritise fiscal consolidation while South Africans face mass unemployment, poverty, and deteriorating public infrastructure.

At the same time, the average household food basket has risen to R5,530.52 per month, an increase of R87.81 over the same period last year. The cost of a basic nutritional food basket has reached approximately R962 per person per month, while the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant remains at only R370. A person receiving the SRD grant therefore receives less than half of what is required simply to meet basic nutritional needs.

South Africa has millions of unemployed people who need work, while municipalities have roads to build, water and sanitation systems to maintain, electricity infrastructure to expand, public facilities to repair and waste-management services to deliver. Yet Treasury continues to constrain the capacity of the state to become a direct employer and builder. This must change.

The upcoming municipal elections are therefore critical as the EFF proposes in our manifesto that municipalities must become engines of employment, infrastructure development, and economic relief. The EFF will continue the fight to insource municipal services, rebuild municipal technical departments ,and directly employ local residents to build and maintain roads, water and sanitation infrastructure, electricity networks, public facilities, and waste-management systems.

Every rand that can be retained within municipalities rather than being lost through unnecessary outsourcing, which has always been a ploy to self-enrich through corrupt tenders, must be used to create jobs and build communities. Municipalities must also reduce the burden on unemployed and underemployed households through meaningful indigent support and free basic services. A household without a stable income cannot be expected to choose between putting food on the table, and paying an unaffordable municipal bill.

The release of the Stats SA QLFS for Q2 2026 therefore presents a clear indictment of the current economic policy direction, and the evident need for new leadership. The EFF will continue fighting to build an economy based on production, employment, and economic freedom.