According to official government numbers issued on Tuesday, South Africa’s unemployment rate, which is already the highest in the world, increased to 32.1% in the fourth quarter of 2023.
According to the Quarterly Labor Force Survey, 46,000 more working-age South Africans lost their jobs in the final three months of 2023, bringing the total to 7.9 million. This represents an increase from 31.9% of the country’s working-age population.
The announcement comes as a setback to the ruling African National Congress party, which will soon confront the most challenging election to date. The unacceptably high unemployment rate is a major concern for voters.
At the end of last year, the unemployment rate for those between the ages of 15 and 24 was 59.4%, as the most developed economy in Africa still struggled to produce work for young people entering the workforce.
Since the apartheid system of white minority rule ended in 1994, the African National Congress (ANC) has been in power. However, during the past 30 years, the ANC’s support has gradually declined, primarily due to its inability to provide services, housing, and jobs to millions of impoverished people.
The ANC could receive less than 50% of the vote in this year’s national election, according to a number of polls, which would be a historic development in South African politics. The ANC would need to form a coalition in order to stay in power and give President Cyril Ramaphosa a second and final five-year term if it were to lose its majority.
In South Africa, a coalition would put an end to the party once headed by Nelson Mandela’s domination, something that has never happened on a national scale. The ANC saw red flags in 2021 when, for the first time, the party won less than 50% of the vote in municipal elections.
In an attempt to entirely unseat the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance, the principal opposition party in South Africa, is investigating the prospect of forming a coalition with a number of other minor parties.
The election date for this year is still pending. It is anticipated to occur in the months of May through August.
