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Eastern Cape must harness national growth and jobs agenda

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Dear Editor

The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q4 2024, released by Statistics South Africa, shows that our province must harness the national growth and jobs agenda urgently.

The unemployment rate remains stubbornly high, with an official rate of 36.6% and an expanded rate of 47.6%, placing immense pressure on families, businesses, and local economies. That 47.6% of working age people cannot find work, or have given up trying, is a crisis for our province.

While national economic indicators show early signs of recovery, the Eastern Cape must now harness these too by accelerating the following key initiatives:

  1. Fast-tracking infrastructure investment: Projects like the uMzimvubu Dam, road and rail expansions, and digital infrastructure must move from planning to implementation to unlock agricultural and logistics jobs.
  2. Creating an enabling environment for SMMEs: Reducing red tape, providing a Business Starter Toolkit, and ensuring small businesses have access to funding and markets.
  3. Reforming local governance to support economic growth: Strengthening municipalities to deliver reliable services, making it easier for businesses to operate and expand.
  4. Leveraging the digital economy: Ensuring affordable, high-speed internet access across the province to support entrepreneurs, freelancers, and online businesses.
  5. Tapping into strategic sectors: Agriculture, renewable energy, tourism, and manufacturing must be prioritised as high-growth areas for job creation and investment.

We are already seeing in the Government of National Unity (GNU) the start of positive economic reforms, but these need to be urgently implemented at scale. The DA recognises positive DA-led policy shifts at the national level, and these must translate into real change on the ground in the Eastern Cape by the interventions of the provincial government here.

The DA is proud that where we govern we are seeing signs of economic growth and job creation. Kouga Municipality is a proven example of how DA-led governance creates jobs. By focusing on service delivery, infrastructure investment, and public-private partnerships, Kouga has cultivated an investment-friendly environment that directly benefits local businesses and communities.

The people of the Eastern Cape deserve hope and a meaningful life of dignity.

Regards

Dr Vicky Knoetze MPL
DA Leader of the Official Opposition in the Eastern Cape Legislature

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