The Democratic Alliance today launched JobsConnectEC at the West End Community Hall in Gqeberha, the first in a series of constituency-based programmes designed to turn unemployment figures into human success stories.
The Eastern Cape faces a deepening employment crisis. The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows an official unemployment rate of 39.3 per cent and an expanded rate of 49 per cent. In the first quarter of this year alone 83 000 residents lost their jobs. Youth unemployment has climbed to an alarming 52 per cent, leaving thousands of school-leavers and graduates without prospects.
Behind every job lost lies a household stretched to breaking point and a future put on hold.
JobsConnectEC offers practical help where government has failed. At today’s launch job seekers learned how to craft CVs, registered their skills, and received interview coaching and life-skills training.
A newly activated free Wi-Fi zone will also allow youth to browse job listings, submit applications, and access free online training resources.
Career exhibitors, training institutions, and youth employment services were on site to guide participants and connect them with available opportunities. Each attendee left with a clear next step rather than another empty promise.
The programme will be rolled out across the province over the next 18 months, with open-day events planned for every DA constituency. This sustained schedule will build a provincial skills database, foster partnerships with local businesses, and ensure that no community is left without direct access to opportunity.
Businesses are key partners in this effort. Many are still unaware of the tax incentives and SETA support available when hiring first-time employees. JobsConnectEC will bridge this information gap, matching prepared candidates with firms ready to grow. In doing so the initiative turns job creation from an abstract ambition into a shared civic responsibility.
The contrast with DA-led governance is clear. While the Eastern Cape shed tens of thousands of positions, the DA-run Western Cape created 49 000 new jobs this year and maintains the country’s lowest unemployment rate at 19.6 per cent. Good policy, reliable infrastructure, and accountable leadership translate into real work.
A job is far more than a payslip. It is dignity, security, and hope for the future. JobsConnectEC proves that when political will meets community energy, despair can be replaced by determination. Today marks the first step in restoring the Eastern Cape’s promise of opportunity for all.