{"id":296466,"date":"2026-05-01T12:54:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T10:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T16:11:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T14:11:46","slug":"government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Government pays tribute to workers as opposition highlights unemployment crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis presented a contrasting view, describing the occasion as a contradiction in a country where millions remain unemployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ: <\/strong>Ramaphosa calls job creation government\u2019s \u2018foremost priority\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

If we truly want to honour workers, then we must build a country that creates more of them.<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> EC unemployment hits 42.5%, nearly 80 000 jobs lost<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cape Town’s official unemployment rate however, has fallen to 19,8%, with the city adding 113 000 jobs year-on-year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Political parties call for end to empty promises as Ramaphosa prepares state of the nation speech<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Africa’s Workers’ Day recognized workforce contributions amid high unemployment, prompting contrasting views on job creation and governance effectiveness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":296468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"74","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Staff Reporter","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[9228,9229,91,8831,9230],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-296466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-hill-lewis","tag-nomonde-mnukwa","tag-top","tag-unemployment","tag-workers-day-3"],"yoast_head":"\nTribute to Workers on Workers Day: A Reflection | Mthatha Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Workers' Day pays homage to the workforce in South Africa, emphasizing the importance of labor rights and job creation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Government pays tribute to workers as opposition highlights unemployment crisis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Workers' Day pays homage to the workforce in South Africa, emphasizing the importance of labor rights and job creation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mthatha Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-01T10:54:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-01T14:11:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Staff Reporter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lise Beyers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lise Beyers\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/26dcfaed397aa842b81f2d9315f2c4b0\"},\"headline\":\"Government pays tribute to workers as opposition highlights unemployment crisis\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-01T10:54:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-01T14:11:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":397,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"hill-lewis\",\"nomonde mnukwa\",\"Top\",\"unemployment\",\"workers day\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/\",\"name\":\"Tribute to Workers on Workers Day: A Reflection | Mthatha Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-01T10:54:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-01T14:11:46+00:00\",\"description\":\"Workers' Day pays homage to the workforce in South Africa, emphasizing the importance of labor rights and job creation.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis, highlighted the plight of the millions of unemployed South Africans on Workers' Day.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Government pays tribute to workers as opposition highlights unemployment crisis\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Mthatha Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MthathaExpress\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/EP_Media24\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\"],\"description\":\"Mthatha Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of Mthatha and surrounding towns and villages for almost a decade. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 70,000 free copies delivered across the former Transkei area every week. It is also distributed once a month in East London.\",\"email\":\"mthathaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27472932973\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/26dcfaed397aa842b81f2d9315f2c4b0\",\"name\":\"Lise Beyers\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/747e47369dce0a29870a65898ea9e9af5af7d713b08ae3fefdafe7b5bf28f7e1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/747e47369dce0a29870a65898ea9e9af5af7d713b08ae3fefdafe7b5bf28f7e1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/747e47369dce0a29870a65898ea9e9af5af7d713b08ae3fefdafe7b5bf28f7e1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lise Beyers\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/author\\\/lise-beyers\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tribute to Workers on Workers Day: A Reflection | Mthatha Express","description":"Workers' Day pays homage to the workforce in South Africa, emphasizing the importance of labor rights and job creation.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Government pays tribute to workers as opposition highlights unemployment crisis","og_description":"Workers' Day pays homage to the workforce in South Africa, emphasizing the importance of labor rights and job creation.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/","og_site_name":"Mthatha Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/","article_published_time":"2026-05-01T10:54:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-01T14:11:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Staff Reporter","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EP_Media24","twitter_site":"@EP_Media24","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lise Beyers","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/"},"author":{"name":"Lise Beyers","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/26dcfaed397aa842b81f2d9315f2c4b0"},"headline":"Government pays tribute to workers as opposition highlights unemployment crisis","datePublished":"2026-05-01T10:54:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-01T14:11:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/"},"wordCount":397,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg","keywords":["hill-lewis","nomonde mnukwa","Top","unemployment","workers day"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/","name":"Tribute to Workers on Workers Day: A Reflection | Mthatha Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-01T10:54:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-01T14:11:46+00:00","description":"Workers' Day pays homage to the workforce in South Africa, emphasizing the importance of labor rights and job creation.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis, highlighted the plight of the millions of unemployed South Africans on Workers' Day."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/government-pays-tribute-to-workers-as-opposition-highlights-unemployment-crisis\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Government pays tribute to workers as opposition highlights unemployment crisis"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/","name":"Mthatha Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization","name":"Mthatha Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Mthatha Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EP_Media24","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000"],"description":"Mthatha Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of Mthatha and surrounding towns and villages for almost a decade. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 70,000 free copies delivered across the former Transkei area every week. It is also distributed once a month in East London.","email":"mthathaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27472932973","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/26dcfaed397aa842b81f2d9315f2c4b0","name":"Lise Beyers","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/747e47369dce0a29870a65898ea9e9af5af7d713b08ae3fefdafe7b5bf28f7e1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/747e47369dce0a29870a65898ea9e9af5af7d713b08ae3fefdafe7b5bf28f7e1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/747e47369dce0a29870a65898ea9e9af5af7d713b08ae3fefdafe7b5bf28f7e1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lise Beyers"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/author\/lise-beyers\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260227__996F8Z9__v1__HighRes__SafricaPolitics.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":295690,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ec-unemployment-hits-42-5-nearly-80-000-jobs-lost\/","url_meta":{"origin":296466,"position":0},"title":"EC unemployment hits 42.5%, nearly 80 000 jobs lost","author":"Mthatha Express","date":"27 February 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Eastern Cape records SA's highest unemployment at 42.5%, losing almost 80 000 jobs in a year. Rate far exceeds national average of 31.4% - Q4 2025 QLFS.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Risenga-Maluleke.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Risenga-Maluleke.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Risenga-Maluleke.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Risenga-Maluleke.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Risenga-Maluleke.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"NovaNews","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296466"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=296466"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=296466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}