For many rural Eastern Cape families, social grants are the only source of income.
The quarterly labour force survey released by Stats SA this week paints a bleak picture of employment in areas outside the metros of Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay. The unemployment rate in the Eastern Cape outside the two big cities is the country's highest at 53%.
One of the jobless is Nonkululeko Mkalipi, 54, from Makhanda (Grahamstown), who has been unemployed for a decade. She said she would starve if not for the grants.
“I live on my [two] children's state grants. My mother and my grandfather's state pensions also help a lot,” said Mkalipi.
“I have grade 11. The last time I had a pay cheque was in 2011. I worked as a cleaner. I used to get jobs during the National Arts Festival but Covid-19 has stopped everything.”
Butterworth resident Noluthando Bikitsha, 36, has struggled to find work since she lost her admin job in East London in November 2019.
“I have five dependants that I have to feed.
“I have a certificate in office management but there are no job prospects in Butterworth. The factories that employed our parents when we grew up shut down. There are many people in my village who also struggle to find jobs. I am not alone.”
Ngcwelekazi Lumkwana, 28, from Cacadu (formerly Lady Frere) has a diploma in local government finance but is unemployed. She lost her job at a local tavern and lives on her 11-year-old child's grant.
“It's very expensive to go to town every day to look for a job. The only time we go to town is when we draw the social grants.”
Ayanda Kota, chair of the Unemployed People's Movement, said mass emigration from the Eastern Cape was the consequence of the employment crisis.
“People are turning their backs on the Eastern Cape because there is absolutely nothing they can do,” he said.
“In rural areas they don't even enjoy the basic services provided by the municipalities, such as RDP houses, provision of water and roads. They don't enjoy any rights as citizens of this country.”
Asanda Dlikilili, an entrepreneur and former secretary of the Emalahleni Business Forum in Cacadu, said lack of business opportunities in the area compounded the unemployment problem.
“This small municipality has been struggling to grow local business for the past four years,” she said. “That affects employment. Small businesses are unable to create jobs.
“The town has not attracted any investors. Government projects do not benefit local businesses. Contractors bring their own labour and Covid-19 has made corruption worse.”
Zukile Mbelani, chair of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Butterworth, said the unemployment statistics “paint the real picture” of small towns and rural areas where the economy is dead.
“We have plans that can stimulate the economy in our area but they fall on deaf ears,” he said. “For the small businesses to succeed, the government needs to create a conducive environment for them.”
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