Maroc - dailynews.co.za - News - 14/Aug 14:12

Parties raise concerns over high unemployment rate, FF+ blames ANC race policy for worsening unemployment

The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) said that the high unemployment levels in South Africa will end if the ANC government revised its “discriminatory” policy on race.The FF+ said the policy was damaging the economy and needed to be scrapped.‘Unemployment in South Africa will end in catastrophe if the ANC government does not urgently recognise that its discriminatory legislation on race in the labour sector is damaging the economy, and does away with it,“ it said.President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Employment Equity Amendment Bill of 2020 into law in 2023.The bill lays out "equity targets" to expedite the advancement of racial equality in the corporate sector.The original act was designed, in part, to support the economic development of black South Africans who were systemically marginalised during apartheid.According to data released by Stats SA on Tuesday, the official unemployment rate for the nation rose from 32.9% in the first quarter to 33.5% in the second.About 8.4 million citizens are now without jobs. The FF+ said that they have been warning for decades that legislation on Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Affirmative Action (AA) will not only destroy the economy, but also the labour sector along with it – a fact that can no longer be denied.The party hoped that the Government of National Unity (GNU) would make changes to the current restrictive labour legislation to unlock the private sector and create more jobs.Meanwhile, the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) said it was deeply concerned by the alarming rise in the country’s unemployment rate.The ANCYL said this reflected the deepening crisis facing our nation, particularly its youth, who are disproportionately affected by joblessness and economic exclusion.The young lions urged companies operating in South Africa to prioritise the employment of South Africans before hiring foreign nationals.The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said this rate was a damning indictment of a system that continues to fail the most marginalised.The EFF consistently stated that the only way to achieve meaningful job creation is through robust economic growth.kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.zaIOL Politics