Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Roy Jankielsohn MPL and images here, here, here and here
As the nation celebrates Workers Day, many Free State residents still struggle to get a job and others have not been able to find employment despite their efforts.
The Free State has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. According to the latest StatsSA Quarterly Labour Force Survey, 44% of the working population are unemployed. Of the 2.9 million people in the province, at least 1 million are still dependent on social grants and 648 000 people between 15 and 64 years of age remain economically inactive.
The ANC-run government has failed to cultivate an environment that is conducive to attracting investment and promoting new businesses to boost job creation. The governing party is entirely inward-focused and has taken every opportunity to advance the party’s own agenda and enrich an elite few within the organisation.
During a conversation with a resident in Dealesville, the impact of the ANC on our economy and people was clear. The man was a former post office employee about to finish his last day of work due to the post office being closed down after a fire and the retrenchment of 4700 employees, which is the sad reality for many others who have served in parastatals that have been run down by the ANC government.
The province cannot afford another 5 years of job shedding and economic shrinkage under an ANC-run government. Residents must use the opportunity on 29 May to vote for a DA government that has proven it can create more jobs in one province than all other 8 provinces combined.