The Limpopo provincial government is optimistic after Statistics SA (Stats SA) announced a slight drop in the unemployment rate for the fourth quarter of the 2025-26 financial year.
But the third biggest political party at the Limpopo provincial legislature in Lebowakgomo, the DA, says the improvement is just a drop in the ocean of unemployment.
Soon after the release of the statistics, Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba, highlighted that the latest Income and Expenditure Survey had shown that poverty in Limpopo declined from 66% to 47.6%, which she said was a leading reduction nationally.
“Just yesterday, the 2025 Quarter 4 Labour Force Survey was released, and it showed that Limpopo’s unemployment rate has further declined to 28.2%, following a significant drop from 35% to 29.8% in Quarter 3 of 2025.
“However, with nearly half of our residents still living in poverty and carrying the weight of unemployment, accelerating inclusive growth and job creation remains an urgent priority.
“Where there is increased economic activity, there is development. Where there is development, jobs are created, and communities flourish,” said the premier.
She added that Limpopo was not merely surviving, but growing.
“Our Gross Domestic Product contribution has risen from 6.9% to 7.8%, representing a noteworthy increase of 0,9% that signals a turning point. This growth demonstrates tangible economic activity, and it is transforming the lives of our people. We are shifting towards becoming an urbanised rural region, where development is felt in the most distant villages.
This, the premier said, was not an accident but the result of deliberate planning and action, which the province would like to see drop below 20% by 2030.
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A statistical illusion
But the DA in the province did not agree.
The party’s provincial chairperson, Lindy Wilson, said a 47% joblessness in Limpopo exposes decades of ANC governance failure.
Wilson said that while Limpopo’s official unemployment rate for Quarter 4 of 2025 declined to 28.2%, below the national average of 31.4%, this so-called “improvement” was nothing more than a statistical illusion.
“It does not reflect real economic progress, but rather a growing number of residents who have simply given up looking for work. The true picture is revealed by the expanded unemployment rate, which measures the percentage of people who want to work but have no job, and those who have stopped actively looking for work because they believe no jobs are available”.
“In Limpopo, nearly half of all working-age residents are effectively excluded from meaningful economic participation. This reflects a labour market characterised by chronic joblessness, widespread discouragement, and an economy that simply cannot absorb its workforce.
“Limpopo continues to record among the lowest labour force participation rates in South Africa, meaning vast numbers of people have lost hope of finding employment”.
Where are the jobs?
Wilson said economic activity in the province continues to be concentrated in mining and government employment, sectors that have limited capacity to absorb large numbers of job seekers.
“Employment in Limpopo’s agricultural sector – one of the largest and most important private-sector employers, particularly in the province’s extensive rural areas – remained relatively stable, providing a buffer against even higher levels of unemployment.
“At the root of this crisis lies decades of failed ANC governance. Collapsing provincial and municipal infrastructure, failing municipal service delivery, and the poor performance of the Limpopo department of economic development, environment and tourism (LEDET), and its Local Economic Development Agency (LEDA), which have both steadily eroded the province’s capacity and failed to create jobs and attract investment”
South Africa’s unemployment rate (31.4%) fell to its lowest level in more than five years in the final quarter of 2025, driven by job gains in the community and social services and construction sectors.
Despite the drop, unemployment remains extremely high, with more than 7.8 million people seeking work.
During a two-day ANC Limpopo provincial Lekgotla held at Bolivia Lodge near the Mall of the North in Polokwane this week, ANC provincial secretary Vhamusanda Reuben Madadzhe said the Lekgotla welcomed the significant drop in unemployment in Limpopo.
“The Lekgotla supports the provincial government’s initiative to fill government posts and further directs the government to create an enabling environment for the private sector to create jobs.
“The filling of vacant posts in government must be done within a reasonable period.
“The Lekgotla also supports the filling of public posts for young people, and encourages young people to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the recruitment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).”
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