Ekurhuleni unemployment crisis: More jobs will be lost under Masina

7 July 2016

Since taking office in 2011, Ekurhuleni Mayor Mondli Gungubele has presided over an unemployment bloodbath, with over 683 000 jobs lost during his tenure. In the first quarter of 2016 alone, the city has seen 112 000 people lose their jobs and unemployment soar to over 36%.

These demonstrates beyond any doubt that the ANC Government in Ekurhuleni is not working.

The ANC's new Mayoral Candidate, Mzwandile Masina, will continue the same failed policies that have led to this massacre of jobs and growth in the City of Ekurhuleni.

Masina is not known for innovation or strategic planning and will offer little to the residents of the metro, other than inflammatory remarks and ANC-jingo, to deal with a crisis that needs bold, decisive leadership and a change of direction in the City.

As an ardent Zuma supporter, and career politician with no record of delivery, Masina will not provide the leadership or policy direction this city needs to bring about change.

Where the DA governs, policies to create employment and reduce poverty have shown significant success. In the first quarter of 2016, the City of Cape Town – through positive economic legislation and leadership, has created 4000 new jobs.

This is the model that will be emulated in Ekurhuleni.

DA policies for the city of Ekurhuleni include providing meaningful support to entrepreneurs so that small businesses can thrive. AS deputy minister of Trade and Industry, Mzwandile Masina has championed the concept of creating 100 black industrialists. A DA government in Ekurhuleni would prefer to focus on the needs of the hundreds of thousands of unemployed people in the city by creating, mentoring and supporting thousands of new small businesses. 

We will encourage large scale investment into the Metro and not turn away huge international companies like Heineken, Ferrero Roche and the countless others that ANC have shut the doors on through neglect, incompetence and corruption.

The Aerotropolis project, which has been nothing but chatter for the last 6 years, will become a reality, with a focus on deliverable – not just a political talking point and a marketing campaign - that, to date, has not created a single sustainable job.

The City of Ekurhuleni cannot survive another five years of job losses at an exponential rate, its economy cannot shrink any further.

Only the DA has a plan to create jobs in the City of Ekurhuleni and transform it from the capital of unemployment to the city of opportunity.

Issued by Warren Gwilt on behalf of Ghaleb Cachalia, 7 July 2016