DA leader John Steenhuisen has reassured the people of KwaZulu-Natal that jobs will be created, if the DA secures the opportunity to govern nationally during his Freedom Day speech in Durban on Saturday.
Steenhuisen lamented the governing party’s failure in job creation. Instead, he said, the DA would redeem the dignity of South Africans by esteeming and placing the state’s economic status in line with the Western Cape’s calibre. The DA is the custodian of the province.
The official opposition party commits to create two million jobs if elected as part of its manifesto policies.
Steenhuisen claimed that in the Western Cape, the DA created 350 000 new jobs in a space of a year. “Over the past five years, the Western Cape created nearly eight out of every 10 new jobs in the whole of South Africa. The eight other ANC provinces collectively only created two out of every 10 new jobs.”
He said the governing party dangled job promises to manipulate people as part of electioneering. The DA had constructive and tangible implementations for economic freedom, he said.
Among these plans, combating youth unemployment, especially for graduates, and adequate financial literacy of state funds would be the party’s main priorities for economic growth.
He said 32.1% people are unemployed in the country as reported by Statistics SA for the fourth quarter of 2023, 9.6% are unemployed graduates. This has saturated the job market, where unemployment and underemployment has befallen on graduates, who earn close to nothing.
Yet, Steenhuisen stated the blue-party is set to establish a Youth Employment Opportunity Certificate to give unemployed youth a competitive edge in the labour market.
“With the certificate, the DA will declare war on youth unemployment. The certificate will empower young people, who have been jobless for more than twelve months to choose to exempt themselves from sectoral wage agreements, which will make them more attractive to employers.“
Steenhuisen said that financial literacy is imperative for economic sustainability. He alleged the ANC is using R1 out of every R5 in taxes to pay off its R5.2 trillion debt.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told the National Assembly during his Medium-Term Budget Policy last year, that the country’s debt is expected to rise from R4.8 trillion for the 2023/24 financial year, to R5.2 trillion in the next financial year. By 2025/26 financial year, debt will exceed the R6 trillion mark.
The DA proposed financial literacy of state funds and will create close to 450 000 new jobs. Additionally, the R5.2 trillion can be recouped to develop infrastructure, job creation, enable access to water and sanitation and reduce food insecurity.
“To stop wasteful spending, the DA will introduce a fiscal rule that links how much new debt the government can take on to economic growth,” he added.
The Star