Eastern Cape premier and ANC chair Oscar Mabuyane says the province needs stronger economic development and job creation so residents can live and work locally.
Mabuyane has warned that a lack of opportunities forces people to seek work in other provinces.
Speaking on Sunday at the opening of the ANC’s provincial executive committee (PEC) lekgotla, Mabuyane delivered a wide-ranging nine-page address emphasisng the need to create jobs locally.
“We cannot watch on the sidelines while groups of people from outside our province fight every effort to bring development to our province,” said Mabuyane.
“We cannot allow this to continue because it means our people will continue travelling to other provinces to seek employment when they should be working in their own province, closer to their homes,” he said.
Mabuyane highlighted the potential for industrial growth in the province, drawing parallels with Gauteng’s historic economic boom.
“This is possible when we allow exploration and establishment of new industries in our province. The Gauteng economy was built on the discovery of gold,” he said.
Statistics South Africa’s latest quarterly labour force survey shows the North West and Eastern Cape are the only provinces where unemployment exceeds employment.
The country’s official unemployment rate dropped to 31.9% in the third quarter of 2025, down from 33.2% the previous quarter.
About 248,000 more South Africans found jobs, bringing total employment to 17.1-million while the number of unemployed fell by 360,000 to 8-million.
Mabuyane also discussed South Africa’s place in the international economic landscape, noting the challenges posed by global politics.
“Internationally, the terrain is far more hostile. US President Donald Trump continues to disrupt the global geopolitical and economic order through aggressive unilateralism, undermining multilateralism and injecting volatility into international relations,” he said.
The Eastern Cape leader linked the issue of unemployment to the automotive sector, a critical industry in the province.
Recently the chief director of automotives at the department of trade, industry and competition Mkhululi Mlota told parliamentarians new challenges threaten South Africa’s automotive exports.
“The US is South Africa’s third-largest automotive export destination, with R28.7bn in exports recorded in 2024. New US tariff measures and uncertainty regarding Agoa eligibility for the possible 2028 extension threaten the country’s export position,” said Mlota.
He also highlighted rising competition from China and India, and ongoing efforts to implement South Africa’s electric vehicle policies.
Mabuyane stressed government must take an active role in job creation, rather than relying solely on business.
“On the economic front we must come up with programmes to alleviate the unemployment challenge in our province. If there is one thing that makes our people despondent about the ANC it is unemployment,” he said.
“If we rely too much on business to address this challenge, we will lose power. We are in government, we hold the public purse, we must intervene to create jobs for our people,” said Mabuyane.
The ANC chairperson also highlighted progress in the automotive sector in the province, including investments from international companies.
“We must celebrate strategic investments of the Chery Group, which is reportedly taking over the Nissan manufacturing plant in Pretoria. We hope this promotes local production by the Chinese manufacturer,” he said.
Other projects include Stellantis starting production in Coega towards the end of 2027, BAIC ramping up full-scale vehicle manufacturing and efforts to secure a new investor for the Goodyear factory.
Mabuyane also called for exploration of oil, gas and mineral deposits in the province, particularly along the Wild Coast, and signaled plans for a nuclear build programme at a site in Cape St Francis.
“We must persistently persuade other importing manufacturers from China and India to consider local assembly and, where feasible, full manufacturing operations in strategic hubs such as East London and Gqeberha,” he said.
Mabuyane also reiterated the central role of local job creation in building the Eastern Cape economy and empowering its residents.
TimesLIVE
This article was amended to reflect clarity by the Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane