The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo is gravely concerned by the loss of 43 000 jobs quarter-on-quarter in Limpopo, reflected in the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). This confirms that Limpopo’s economy remains structurally weak, while ANC-led governance at provincial and municipal level is failing to deliver the execution needed to create jobs.
Limpopo’s central mission must be to get the economy growing and creating jobs. Without a growing, job-creating economy, our province will not succeed.
The DA calls on Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba to urgently present a credible provincial jobs and growth response focused on fixing municipal infrastructure, supporting mining, tourism, agriculture and agro-processing, improving logistics and road infrastructure, cutting red tape, and ensuring that major projects are implemented transparently and within clear timelines.
Limpopo does not lack economic potential. It has significant opportunities in agriculture, mining, tourism, logistics and cross-border trade. What it lacks is political will, urgency, clean governance and the ability to execute.
The result is rising unemployment, weak labour absorption, and too few real opportunities for the people of Limpopo.
Limpopo’s official unemployment rate increased sharply from 28.2% in Q4 2025 to 31.7% in Q1 2026, an increase of 3.5 percentage points in just one quarter. This was the second-largest quarterly increase in unemployment in the country, after Mpumalanga.
The broader measure of unemployment and potential labour force remains at a deeply concerning 47%. This means almost half of Limpopo’s available or potentially available labour capacity is not being absorbed into meaningful work.
Internal ANC crises, cadre deployment and criminal infiltration continue to weaken the ability of the province and its municipalities to perform. Businesses and investors are held back by unreliable water and electricity supply, collapsing municipal roads, weak logistics networks, red tape, crime, poor maintenance and municipalities that too often deter investment instead of enabling it.
While Limpopo recorded some gains in agriculture, mining and trade, these were undermined by sharp losses in other key sectors. The most alarming decline was in transport, where employment fell from 88 000 to 53 000 in one quarter. This is deeply concerning for a province dependent on mining logistics, agricultural supply chains, tourism routes and cross-border trade.
Where the DA governs, we focus relentlessly on the basics that make growth possible: clean government, reliable services, infrastructure maintenance, safer communities and an environment where businesses can invest and create jobs.
The DA does not accept mass unemployment as normal. A provincial government that is serious about dignity must be serious about jobs, reform, execution and accountability.