Elections 2024: Racial quotas removal and R5k stipend for graduates – political parties’ plans for unemployment

The Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter released by Statistics SA in February showed that unemployment in South Africa increased to 32.1%.

The unemployment rate, according to the expanded definition, decreased by 0.1 of a percentage point to 41.1% in the fourth quarter.

According to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Democratic Alliance (DA), the unemployment crisis will not change unless the African National Congress (ANC) government is changed.

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However, the ruling party has also plans to ensure “no one is left behind”.

This is how South Africa’s three biggest political parties plan to turn the tide.

EFF on unemployment

The EFF government will ensure the creation of millions of decent jobs between 2024 and 2029, it promises in its election manifesto.

How?

The party will build state capacity, state-led and protected industrialisation and diversify industries.

The party will also ensure the transfer of ownership to black people through subsidies, an increase in tariffs, and state-aided marketing and promotion of South African products.

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The red berets will establish state-owned housing and roads companies that will deal with the social housing and roads infrastructure backlog.

In the short to medium term, this will result in nearly 4 million jobs, it claims.

A state-owned security company that will insource all security personnel working in government facilities, will be established. This will create 1.2 million sustainable jobs without departing from the existing government budget expenditure.

The EFF will establish a state-owned Cleaning, Horticulture, and Landscaping Company that will provide these services to state and public facilities and will lead to over 1 million sustainable jobs.

A minimum of 80% of the goods and services procured by the state at all levels and at all state companies will be domestically produced, it says.

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Furthermore, a minimum of 50% of all South Africa’s mineral resources will be locally beneficiated, processed and value added to create millions of jobs.

Small businesses

The EFF will provide support to all small-scale agricultural operations to ensure that all food for local consumption is produced and processed in South Africa.

All food traders in South Africa will be compelled by law to buy South African food products.

The EFF government will help communities in the coastal areas to start agro-fishing businesses.

Street hawkers and informal traders will be free to trade in a safe and clean environment in all parts of South Africa without the fear of police harassment.

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Their goods will not be confiscated either, as a means of enforcing municipal by-laws.

The EFF government will build markets and storage facilities for street hawkers and small vendors in trading areas.

An EFF government will pass legislation that ensures a minimum wage of R6 000 across the board for all fulltime workers.

It will also introduce a three shift system (morning, afternoon, and night) to allow the economy to operate for 24 hours.

This will ensure continuous productivity without overworking individual workers, and create millions of jobs.

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All unemployed graduates will be absorbed under and EFF government, and will be placed into areas relevant to their qualifications.

A university degree or diploma holder will also receive a minimum stipend of R5 000 a month whether employed or not.

The EFF also plans to build studios in every municipality for artists to record and produce their work locally.

Read more here

ANC on unemployment

The ruling party plans to create and sustain 2.5 million work opportunities by delivering public goods and services in communities.

This includes work done through the Presidential Employment Stimulus and funding to civil society through non-profit companies and organisations.

The organisations will provide work opportunities and expand and institutionalise the National Youth Service in partnership with the SANDF.

The ANC will increase support for small enterprises, entrepreneurs and cooperatives, especially in townships and villages.

This will provide an additional one million work opportunities, prioritising women, youth and persons with disabilities.

The party will engage the private sector on job creation, to contribute to the efforts to create employment.

It will also continue to monitor employment equity to ensure that black people, women and persons with disabilities are represented in all sectors.

The ruling party will protect existing industries like steel.

It will also fix the current constraint in energy, transport and logistics as important network industries.

The party will expand the black industrialist programme to support 2 000 companies.

It will ensure small businesses, cooperatives and enterprises owned by women, young people and persons with disability are included.

The ruling party will accelerate land reform and redistribution to reduce asset inequality and improve food security and agricultural production.

Read more here

DA on unemployment

Like the EFF, the DA wants to ensure young people break free from the constraints of the minimum wage.

The DA plans to create more jobs for our youth by introducing a Youth Employment Opportunity Certificate.

The goal is to make it easier for young people aged between 18 and 35 to move from not having a job to having one by offering flexible employment terms.

The certificate will be valid for two years. It will give unemployed people who have not been employed for at least 12 months the right to exempt themselves from sectoral wage agreements.

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This policy will make it easier for employers to hire those who have been out of work for long periods of time.

The DA also plans to make apprenticeships a stand-alone category. This will encourage employers to hire, train and enhance the skills of our workforce.

“Currently, apprentices are categorised as employees, which disincentives employers from hiring apprentices. This is because they would need to comply with the same onerous labour regulations applicable to employees,” says the party.

The party will also remove racial targets or quotas in the Employment Equity and the Preferential Procurement Acts.

It will promote the principle of non-racialism, fostering an environment where meritocracy and diversity thrive.

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The DA plans to make labour unions pay a deposit to an appropriate independent body before they can legally strike.

Any damage or destruction caused during strikes will be reimbursed out of deposits paid by those undertaking the strikes.

Read more here