Minister Lindiwe Zulu stated that one of the reasons for the rate of poverty in the province could be because it is vast and rural, although it has the smallest population in the country. She further stated that job opportunities are scarce in rural areas, leading to people’s relocation to urban areas in the hopes of finding employment. Zulu also revealed that the province has an unemployment rate of over 24% - according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey of Statistics South Africa (1st Quarter).

The latest information Zulu used when replying to a question asked by a DA Member of the National Assembly, Gizella Opperman, in a question and answer session, detailed that there are approximately 354 306 households in the province, and 139 395 households have an income of less than R624 per month. The average household size in the province was, according to the data from 2020, 3.7 people per household. Therefore, approximately 515 760 people are living below the food poverty line of R624 per month.

When responding to a question regarding where in the province is poverty the most extreme, she stated at the moment the only available information she has is from the Census 2011. According to this data, in 2011 a total of 697 761 people earned R800 or less per month, which was approximately 60.89% of the total population of 1 145 862 people in the province. At the time, the John Taolo Gaetsewe District in the Joe Morolong Local Municipality had the highest rate of poverty, with 78.60% earning R800 or less per month. Followed by the Frances Baard District under the Magareng Local Municipality, with 69.36% of the people earning R800 or less per month.

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