The province, currently under administration, has once again come under the spotlight following Statistics South Africa’s announcement that the country’s unemployment rate had risen to 29% in the second quarter of 2019. This is a 1.4% increase from the 27.6% in the first quarter of 2019, and the worst rate since 2008. 

The loss of jobs was mainly recorded in the finance, mining, and transport sectors. Stats SA also announced that the number of unemployed people in the country increased from 4.3 million to 6.7 million over a ten-year period.  

This province which last year made national headlines over violent service delivery protests and calls for former premier Supra Mahumapelo’s resignation, leading president Cyril Ramaphosa to place it under administration, is again making news over the 46.6% highest expanded unemployment rate.

Meanwhile, the DA in the province has attributed this high unemployment to the ANC’s poor governance and economic policy.

“More than 800 000 people in North West who are able to work, today remain unemployed without any prospects of finding a job anytime soon. Economic conditions in South Africa are currently extremely dire and the DA sympathises with the residents of North West who have to live under ANC failures. The rise in unemployment is solely due to the ANC’s disastrous economic policies that fail to create a favourable environment for attracting investment that will create growth and create employment. In addition, North West has been plagued by failed ANC governance resulting in protests, violence and general unrest as a result. It is alarming that the infighting in the ANC contributed to the destabilisation of governments, both at provincial and local level,” said the party’s provincial leader, Joe McGluwa.

McGluwa further stated that the future of the province look bleak with ANC cadres continuing to loot state coffers without any consequences for their actions.

He says poor management, lack of planning, and cadre deployment have grappled that province and brought it to its knees.

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