‘The big issue: Jobs'
Today I met with residents, community and faith leaders, and business people on the West Coast. We exchanged stories on the successes of the Western Cape Story since the DA took over the provincial government in 2009. We also shared ideas on how we can build on the solid foundations that we have laid over the last five years.
What struck me was that nearly everyone I met agrees on the ‘big issue'. The story of this election is jobs, jobs and jobs.
If the DA is elected to national government, we will grow the economy and create 6 million real jobs. That will bring down unemployment to less than half what it is now.
Some people have said that we are just saying that - that it is an election promise that cannot be delivered. I understand their frustration. For years the ANC has promised to create millions of jobs, but there are more unemployed people in South Africa today than ever before.
But the DA doesn't say something that we cannot deliver on. The voters must judge us on our record, and the DA has a record on job creation that we are really proud of.
While South Africa has an unemployment rate of 34%, the Western Cape's unemployment rate is 22%. This is the lowest in the country.
To put this into perspective, the number of unemployed people across South Africa has grown by 121,000 since the end of 2012. In the Western Cape the number of unemployed people has shrunk by 48,000 in the same time. And since 2009, over R2 billion in foreign direct investment has flowed into the province.
Critically, this province also has by far the lowest number of "disheartened" job seekers. This means that even those who are unemployed know that they should keep on looking for a job, and that there is a reasonable prospect of finding one. They do not lose hope!
None of this has happened by chance. It takes good government to grow an economy.
Where the DA governs, we work hard to get the economy growing - by getting rid of corruption, by cutting red tape for small business, by investing in crucial infrastructure, and by pursuing genuinely broad based empowerment that extends opportunities to everyone.
We've also invested in major projects that will be catalysts for economic growth and job creation in the future. One in particular will transform the West Coast and South Africa for many decades to come. The provincial government invested R25 million in the Saldanha Bay IDZ close to here. According to one feasibility study, the IDZ could create 15 000 jobs over the next ten years with the potential to generate R10 billion for the region's economy.
In a positive domino effect, the DA government in the Western Cape and other stakeholders will invest over R1 billion to support the development of the IDZ. This funding will also be used for physical infrastructure at the site and skills programmes for local residents.
While we are excited by this prestigious project, we know that most jobs in the world are created by entrepreneurs who start small businesses, often from their garage, and grow them from there.
This is why we assisted 22,000 entrepreneurs with support and finance. Our Enterprise and Development Fund has committed R20 million in loan funding to black-owned businesses.
But what about building the bridge between education and work?
43 percent of employers report that they can't find enough qualified entry-level candidates. As much as this reflects our skills challenge, it is also an opportunity for the Western Cape to fill this gap. We can connect more "ready-to-work" people with "ready-to-be-filled" jobs.
This is why we have invested in the province's most precious asset: our young people. We've invested more than R1.7 billion in skills development programmes to provide training opportunities to over 98,000 people - most of them youth.
We have offered over 4,000 young people work opportunities in our Work & Skills programme. 2400 of these young people were offered permanent positions after completing their training, and are now working in permanent jobs.
And we have provided nearly 1,500 matriculants on-the-job training in government departments through the Premier's Advancement of Youth project.
But we did not do any of this alone. We have worked in partnership with the people of this province. This is why we say Better Together. We did it with the communities I am visiting today - Darling, Piketberg, Porterville, Witterwater, Dwarskerbos and Vredenburg.
Over the last five years, the Western Cape has laid the foundation of the better life for all.
President Zuma has shown that his government takes money from the poor to give to the rich. The DA has shown that we shift resources to the communities that need it most - to create opportunities for growth and real jobs.
We have made a good start since 2009. The foundation for success and prosperity has been laid. And the best is yet to come.
Stand with the DA on 7 May. Together for Change, Together for Jobs.
Statement issued by DA leader, Helen Zille, April 4 2014
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