Picture: Some of unemployment youth emabrked on protest/Generic
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
14 August 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) said as per the 2nd Quarter Labour Force Survey released yesterday by Stats South Africa, North West still holds the highest unemployment rate in the country.
The DA said despite a marginal 0.3% drop from the previous quarter and a 1.2% drop from the same time last year, the official rate sits at 40.1% and the expanded rate at a staggering 54.7%.
The DA Caucus Leader in the North West Provincial Legislature, Freddy Sonakile said more than 1.5 million residents remain without jobs. Sonkaile said their absorption rate of 31.6% is the lowest in the country and labour force participation is among the lowest nationally at 52.7%.
“On 4 July this year, the DA marched to the Office of the Premier, handing over a memorandum demanding urgent action: declaring unemployment a provincial disaster, launching a Premier-led Youth Employment War Room, implementing a turnaround jobs plan with measurable targets, prioritising infrastructure to unlock growth, and publishing quarterly reports on investment and job creation.
“While we understand that job creation is primarily driven by the private sector, it remains the essential role of government to establish conducive environments and implement strategic plans that enable and accelerate sustainable job growth,” he said.
Sonakile further said one month later, there has been no response from the North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi. He added that there is currently no jobs crisis plan, as he ignores memorandums and proposals to address this challenge.
“Jobs are not created by cutting ribbons, hosting road shows, or attending every ceremonial opening. These statistics indicate a province on autopilot, with no urgency for economic reforms.
“We have formally requested that the Portfolio Committee responsible for oversight of Premier, places this matter high on its agenda during engagements with Mokgosi,” said Sonakile.
He said Mokgosi’s continued silence is a betrayal of North West residents. Sonakile said while he may be crisscrossing the province, the results speak for themselves.
“No real jobs have been created, nothing is attracting the private sector, and the province remains left behind,” he said.
Meanwhile, the North West is sitting at 54,7% unemployment rate and recorded the highest expanded unemployment rate in Q2:2025, followed by MP (48,4%). NW, KZN, MP, and NC recorded more than 14 percentage points difference between expanded and official unemployment rates
The Guardian 