Economic Freedom Fighters blames President Cyril Ramaphosa and GNU for an exacerbating unemployment rate in the country followed latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey(QLFS) released by Statistics South Africa(Stats SA) on Tuesday. 

Yesterday,Stats SA announced that the official unemployment rate increased by 1,0 percentage point to 32,9% in Q1:2025 compared to Q4:2024.Employment decreased by 291 000 in the first quarter of 2025,following an increase of 132 000 in the last quarter of 2024.The number of Not Economically Active persons increased by 184 000 in Q1:2025 compared to Q4:2024.

EFF has gloated that the latest statistics prove that African National Congress(ANC) and its coalition partners had failed dismally to come up with tangible solution on how to curb high unemployment rate facing the country considering the period they have been in power after May 2024 general election.

"The Economic Freedom Fighters(EFF) notes the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey released on the 13th of May 2025 by Statistics South Africa.The quarterly labour survey is yet more evidence that the governing party,together with its coalition partners in the so-called Government of National Unity(GNU),nearly a year into office,have failed to put in place any practical and believable plan to create jobs and address the crisis of unemployment in South Africa,"said Sinawo Thambo,EFF National Spokesperson.

Thambo highlighted that unemployment in the country is affecting mainly black people especially women which are excluded and exploited.

"The EFF maintains that unemployment in South Africa remains racial in character.Black Africans bear the heaviest burden,with an expanded unemployment rate of 46.3%,far above the national average of 43.1%.This reflects a deeply unequal economy that continues to exclude the Black majority from full participation.

What is most concerning is that women continue to suffer structural exclusion and exploitation under this system.Black African women have the highest unemployment rates,with over 39% out of work.They are the backbone of South Africa's economy-propping up underpaid sectors such as domestic work,retail,and care work - yet they remain the most disrespected and most disregarded.This systemic oppression feeds social ills,including gender-based violence,poverty,and other broader collapse of family and moral structures,"Thambo added.

Thambo has pointed out that the unemployment rate worsened since Cyril Ramaphosa was elected as the President of South Africa in 2018.

"When we compare this to 2018 when Cyril Ramaphosa was first elected a president,the situation has clearly worsened.Then,the number of employed persons was 16.5 million - just 300,000 fewer than today,despite the population growing by over 3.5 milliom.The unemployment rate in 2018 was 27.1%(official) and 37.0%(expanded),compared to today's 32.9% and 43.1%,respectively.In Quarter 4 of 2018,there were 6.1 million unemployed persons,compared to 8.2 million today - an increase of over 2 million jobless people in six years,"continued Thambo.

Thambo emphasised that the so-called Government of National Unity has no credible plan to turn this around.It is a coalition of austerity,privatisation,and cowardice - whose leaders have agreed on a 2025 budget that deepens cuts to social infrastructure,does not support industrialisation,and offers no real intervention to grow the economy or create decent jobs.It is a neoliberal pact with capital,not a contract with the people.

He revealed that EFF has tabled practical solutions which can be used to revive the declining economy and create job opportunities for all South Africans which were ignored by a governing party.

"The EFF has,time and time,placed on the table practical solutions that will stimulate economic activity and ensure mass job creation.These include a sovereign job guarantee fund,the establishment of labour-intensive state-owned industries,insourcing of all government and municipal workers,and a massive infrastructure drive focused on rural and township economies.The current governing class is failing to appreciate that South Africa is facing a crisis and will plunged the whole country into further crisis as unemployment continues to be the biggest threat to national economic security,"concluded Thambo.