By Levy Masiteng
The Northern Cape has recorded the largest decline in unemployment among South Africa’s provinces, Premier Zamani Saul announced during his 2026 State of the Province Address (SOPA) at the Bergsig Sportsground in Springbok, Namakwa District, on Thursday.
Saul said the province’s unemployment rate fell from 31.2% to 27.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024 — a 4.1 percentage-point drop he described as the highest in the country.
“As I am addressing you now, our GDP stands at R166 billion,” Saul said.
“The number of employed persons increased by 10,000 from the third quarter of 2025 to the fourth quarter of 2025.”
He added that employment rose from 319,000 in the third quarter of 2025 to 337,000 in the fourth quarter. Compared with the second quarter of 2020, when 225,000 people were employed, the province has created more than 100,000 additional jobs over five years.
“What this means is that growth in the provincial GDP has translated into job opportunities for the people of the Northern Cape,” he said.
Saul positioned the province as “the new growth frontier” of South Africa, citing mining, agriculture and the green economy as the top contributors to provincial GDP.
Mining alone accounts for 19% of output, with potential to expand to 50% if structural constraints — including high energy tariffs and logistics bottlenecks — are resolved.
Infrastructure investment was another pillar of his address. Saul said approximately R30 billion has been invested in social and economic infrastructure over the past five years.
“Travellers across the Northern Cape have seen the new schools, clinics and roads built as a result of this R30 billion investment,” he said.
He also highlighted support for small-scale farmers, with R205 million invested in the current financial year and R226 million allocated for the next, including substantial funding for infrastructure development.
However, opposition parties challenged the Premier’s optimistic assessment.
Democratic Alliance (DA) Northern Cape leader Isak Fritz said the address focused on “headline-grabbing mega-projects” while neglecting failing basic services.
“The reported 17,000 jobs created in late 2025 were quickly overshadowed by the liquidation of Ekapa Mine, which cost approximately 3,500 jobs,” Fritz said.
“Without reliable electricity, water, refuse removal and road maintenance, SMMEs cannot grow and sustainable employment will remain out of reach.”
He argued that the province’s challenges stem from governance failures rather than funding shortages.
“If the Premier is serious about clean governance, lifestyle audits must start at the top, beginning with himself and his Executive. Accountability cannot be selective,” Fritz said.
Similarly, Freedom Front Plus spokesperson Theo Joubert described the speech as “a rehash of empty promises”.
“The State of the Province Address echoed previous speeches filled with grand announcements that never fully materialised,” Joubert said.
“The people of the Northern Cape do not need more visions. They need running water, functional infrastructure and a government that fulfils its constitutional obligations.”
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