The ANC faces more woes after Statistics SA (Stats SA) released a report on Tuesday showing that the unemployment figures have reached a record-breaking 35.3%.
This as the nation awaited the hybrid committee meeting on the motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Stats SA data showed that the official unemployment rate increased by 0.4 of a percentage point to 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021, the highest since the Quarterly Labour Force Survey began in 2008.
Opposition parties weighed in on the latest figures, with ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba saying the ruling party must be dethroned for South Africa to prosper.
“Under the leadership of President [Cyril] Ramaphosa, our economy continues to suffer from a profound lack of leadership, resulting in each release of these statistics only being a question of how many more South Africans find themselves without a job,” said Mashaba.
“The jobs stats revealed new record levels of unemployment in our country with 262 000 more South Africans falling into the ranks of the unemployed, now standing at 46.2%.”
He added that the significance of the latest figures must be the universal understanding arising from them, that for South Africa to succeed, the ANC must be removed from power during the national elections in 2024.
The EFF said it was not shocked because the ruling party had indicated that it was not its responsibility to create jobs.
The ANC has “entrusted white people” with the task of creating jobs, said EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo, blaming the governing party for the jobs bloodbath and worsening levels of poverty.
“The EFF will take over,” said Thambo.
In a series of tweets, the DA expressed its vote of no confidence in ANC’s government, saying the country deserves a competent cabinet.
“We will no longer tolerate incompetence and the looting of the state,” said the official opposition party. “SA has one of the largest but most incompetent cabinets in the world. Ramaphosa’s cabinet is behind the rising unemployment, poverty, crime rate, and corruption.
“President Ramaphosa seems blind to his cabinet’s incompetence and corruption which is negatively affecting South Africa’s growth.”
Also read: Youth unemployment in SA reaches a record high 66.5%
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