City boasts lowest unemployment rate in SA
Despite supporting projects that will drive new jobs and further boost the city's employment standing nationally, eThekwini's actions in closing down two well known institutions which could result in the loss of hundreds of jobs, is in sharp contrast to its commitment to cut unemployment..
ETHEKWINI Municipality was in a self-congratulatory mood this week when it announced that its official unemployment rate of 16, 5 percent is the lowest in the country. While the city is proud that its employment rate is up, its actions in evicting tenants at the Newmarket Stables and Stables Lifestyle Market where hundreds of people stand to lose their jobs is in sharp contrast.
The results are according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the second quarter of 2015 released by Statistics South Africa on 29 July. The report reveals the number of employed people increased to 198 000, while unemployment declined by 305 000, on a quarterly basis.
According to the report, employment increased in six of the nine provinces in the second quarter and the largest gains in employment were recorded in Gauteng (167 000), Limpopo (79 000) and KwaZulu-Natal (75 000).
Despite job losses in some sectors as indicated by the Stats SA survey, the Municipality said it is actively promoting, attracting and supporting business investment in the City.
Mayor James Nxumalo said as part of a strategy implementation framework, the current Durban Investment Dashboard for the City of Durban catalogues over 65 active flagship projects, with a cumulative value in excess of R620 billion. These have the potential to produce over 600 000 permanent jobs, and over R8 billion in new rates revenue for the Municipality.
With the impending closure of the Newmarket Stables and Stables Lifestyle Market, grooms from the stables and stall holders from the market, some of whom rely on sales at the market as their only form of income, will be find themselves on the unemployment line.
At a council meeting on Thursday, ward councillor, Martin Meyer, said the Democratic Alliance was disappointed by the city’s failure to engage with affected parties from the Newmarket precinct after the Speaker of Council, Logie Naidoo, refused to allow an urgent motion calling for the retraction of eviction notices on the Stables Lifestyle Market and Newmarket Stables. This eviction will lead to the loss of hundreds of jobs at the end of August.
“The ANC Secretary General this week said it is unpatriotic to shed jobs at this time, yet the ANC-run municipality seems quite willing to destroy the livelihood of hundreds of families in one fell swoop,” he said.
