Statement by Andrew Whitfield MPL – DA Eastern Cape Provincial Leader:
Newly elected councillors across the province have the opportunity to turn the tide of unemployment in the Eastern Cape. The latest figures, released today by Stats SA, show a marginal improvement, but the Eastern Cape still has the country’s highest unemployment rate.
While the province gained an additional 36,000 jobs in the third quarter, with the official unemployment rate falling from 47.5% to 44.3%, it remains 3.1 percentage points higher than a year ago and 10.6 percentage points above the national rate.
In the province’s rural areas outside the two metros, the broader expanded unemployment (LU3) measure remained exceptionally high at 59.3%, meaning roughly three in five people seeking work can’t find gainful employment.
Buffalo City’s unemployment figures rose slightly from 30.5% to 33.7%, while Nelson Mandela Bay saw a modest recovery, from 33.1% to 32.2%.
When I returned to the Eastern Cape, I made a commitment to grow the Democratic Alliance’s representation in local government so that we can fight for stable, capable and honest local government. This is what is required to unlock growth and prosperity for all. The DA will champion this fight.
As new councils take office over the coming weeks, they have an opportunity to change the course of their municipalities. Their decisions on basic services and investment can help change the course of the province’s unemployment crisis.
The Eastern Cape has the ports, industrial base, and room to grow. But a business will think twice if it cannot get a reliable water supply, an electricity connection, or a decision on its building plans. The first test for newly elected councils is whether they can make it easier to invest and create jobs.
Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay should be engines of growth for the whole province. Their factories and ports should open markets for suppliers and producers in surrounding towns and rural communities.
Councils must set deadlines for building plan approvals, zoning decisions, and service connections, and report publicly on whether they meet them.
In every Eastern Cape council where the DA is represented, we will work with fellow councillors to make it easier for businesses to invest and grow in these municipalities. We will push to cut red tape, speed up approvals, and improve basic services.
Increased investment creates compounding opportunities for job creation, which in turn allows residents to be able to find work closer to home. Improving local government can get the Eastern Cape working for all its residents.
Princess Dove
A new teacher enters a classroom full of students.
The teacher stands at the front of the room and greets the students, \”Good morning, class.\”
None of the students say anything. One boy at the back of the classroom stands up, \”Good morning, teacher.\”
Puzzled, the teacher carries on. The following morning, the same thing happens. Day after day goes by, and it\’s the same routine.
One morning after greeting the class and the same student standing and greeting, the teacher has had enough, \”Why is it, that every time I walk in and greet the entire room, only you stand up and greet me?\”
In the most broken English, the boy replies, \”Because I are the only one here, what\’s name are Klass\”
Rummy Stickers
A baby was born in South Africa. The village was very poor, and the makeshift hospital didn\’t have some necessary equipment.. such as scales.
The father however, was desperate to know the newborn baby\’s weight. After quite a bit of asking around, the hospital\’s chairman came up with an idea.
\”Five miles west, there\’s a butcher shop. The owner deals with meat, he should have a rather precise scale. You could just put your baby on the meat scale, and the weight reading you\’ll get should be pretty accurate.\”
And so the father departed westward. After much walking, with his newborn child cardled safely in his arms, he finally arrived at the butcher shop. He explained his dilemma to the shop owner, to witch the latter replied:
\”Don\’t worry, friend. It\’s not even a problem, I\’ll check it for you, free of charge.\” And so he took the child to the back, where the scale was located.
The father heard rumbling noises, and some scraping.. About a minute later the butcher came back.
\”About three pounds boneless\” He said.