In the year 2023, South Africa continues to face a major challenge: unemployment. According to the latest official data released recently, South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 32.1% in the fourth quarter, confirming its position as the country with the highest unemployment rate in the world.
The Quarterly Labor Force Survey revealed that the number of unemployed working-age people in South Africa reached 7.9 million, with an increase of 46,000 more unemployed in the last three months of 2023, up from 31.9% previously.
These figures are bad news for the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), which is preparing to face the most difficult election in its history in a few months. The very high unemployment rate represents a major issue for voters and highlights the country’s economic difficulties.
Young people are particularly affected by unemployment, with a rate of 59.4% among 15-24 year olds at the end of last year. Despite its position as the most advanced economy on the African continent, South Africa struggles to create jobs for young people entering the labor market.
Since the end of the apartheid regime in 1994, the ruling ANC party has seen its support gradually erode due to its failure to provide jobs, housing and services to millions of poor people. Several polls predict that the ANC could lose its majority in the next national elections, which would constitute a major turning point in the country’s political history.
Faced with this situation, the main opposition, the Democratic Alliance, is exploring the possibility of forming its own coalition with several small parties, in the hope of ousting the ANC from power. If the ANC were to lose its majority, then it would have to enter into coalition agreements to remain in government and keep President Cyril Ramaphosa in office for a second and final five-year term.
The date of this year’s elections has not yet been announced, but they are expected to take place between May and August. South Africa is at a crucial juncture in its political history, and the results of the upcoming elections could shape the country’s future for years to come.