Western Cape is creating jobs: DA

DA leader Helen Zille. File photo: Adrian de Kock.

DA leader Helen Zille. File photo: Adrian de Kock.

Published May 5, 2014

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Cape Town - The Western Cape is the only province in the country which saw a decline in unemployment, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday.

“Where the DA governs, we manage the economy properly and cut corruption so that thousands of new jobs are created,” said party leader Helen Zille.

That’s why where the DA governs, unemployment is the lowest in South Africa,”

The Quarterly Labour Force Survey, released by Stats SA earlier in the day, showed the Western Cape was the only province in the country that saw a decline in unemployment.

Quarter-on-quarter unemployment declined by 0.1 percent in the Western Cape, while it increased in all other provinces in the statistics.

Zille said: “The report shows that the DA government in the Western Cape has created 146 000 jobs over the last year... more than double what the ANC governments created in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.”

Western Cape Finance and Economic Development MEC Alan Winde also weighed in, insisting the province's focus on clean government was contributing to its successes.

“Through our focus on rooting out corruption and improving our financial governance, the DA-run Western Cape has been voted the cleanest province in South Africa by the Auditor General,” Winde said.

“The presidency has also rated the Western Cape as the best performing provincial government in the country.”

Statistician General Pali Lehohla revealed that quarter-on-quarter employment rates declined in the first three months of the year.

“The bulk of job losses were in the informal sector,” Lehohla said.

Employment in the formal sector remained largely stable, with 10.8 million people employed.

“The largest level of participation was in the Western Cape,” he said.

The decrease in employment meant that unemployment figures rose by 1.1 percent from quarter to quarter.

The year-on-year picture looked better with employment rising by 496 000.

Unemployment, however, also grew by 205 000.

The trade sector contributed the most to the rise in employment with 154 000 jobs being created, followed by community and social services at 132 000 work opportunities.

Sapa

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