Tebogo Msimanga |
The Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow Minister for Employment and Labour Michael Cardo says the pledge by the Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, to create 2 million new jobs before 2024 is nothing more than an electioneering ploy. “It is an empty promise, made with all of his fingers crossed behind his back, except for his index finger, which is pointed cynically in the direction of foreign nationals”.
Cardo said Minister Nxesi is trying to blame South Africa’s sky-high unemployment rate on foreign workers. He stressed the fact that 12 million South Africans are out of work, not because of Zimbabwean waiters or Malawian truck drivers, but because the ANC has wrecked the economy.
“Until the government embarks on a comprehensive programme of structural reforms, we will never be able to achieve the labour-absorbing economic growth our country needs”.
The National Development Plan (NDP) promised an unemployment rate of 14 percent by 2020: it envisaged that 18.9 million people would have jobs by then. “Instead, as of the most recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey, we have fewer than 15 million in employment, and an official unemployment rate of 34.5 percent. (45.5 percent on the expanded definition)”
Cardo went on to say Instead of scapegoating foreign nationals for the horrific state of unemployment, Minister Nxesi and his government should get out of the way. “They need to allow the private sector to get on with it and create jobs”.
