South Africa marked Workers’ Day today, 1 May, with government paying tribute to the nation’s workforce, whilst opposition parties used the occasion to draw attention to the country’s unemployment crisis.
Acting Director-General of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Nomonde Mnukwa, highlighted the role workers play in driving the country’s growth and development.
Mnukwa said Workers’ Day serves as a moment to recognise not only the economic contributions of employees, but also their efforts to build fair, safe and inclusive workplaces. She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to advancing decent work, protecting labour rights and supporting job creation initiatives.
“We honour the dedication of workers across all sectors,” Mnukwa said, adding that their service forms the backbone of the country’s social and economic development.
However, Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis presented a contrasting view, describing the occasion as a contradiction in a country where millions remain unemployed.
“This is a country in which work is still out of reach for millions,” Hill-Lewis said. “There is little dignity in being locked out of the economy.”
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According to the latest official figures, 31,4% of South Africans are unemployed. On the expanded definition, which includes those who have given up looking for work, that figure rises to 42,1%. Around 7,8 million South Africans are officially unemployed.
If we truly want to honour workers, then we must build a country that creates more of them.
Hill-Lewis pointed to the Western Cape’s unemployment rate of 18,1%, significantly below the national rate, as evidence that better governance produces better outcomes. The province added 93 000 jobs in the last quarter of 2025 and 95 000 jobs over the year.
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Cape Town’s official unemployment rate however, has fallen to 19,8%, with the city adding 113 000 jobs year-on-year.
“If we truly want to honour workers, then we must build a country that creates more of them,” Hill-Lewis said, adding that this means backing economic growth, fixing infrastructure and making South Africa investable again.
Workers’ Day, historically rooted in the global labour movement, remains a significant public holiday in South Africa, symbolising both the achievements of workers and the ongoing pursuit of improved working conditions.
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