Gauteng: More than 300 000 jobs lost due to load shedding

Approximately 302 893 lost job opportunities in Gauteng due to load shedding.

The Democratic Alliance (DA), said this information was revealed in a reply to its questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

INCREASE IN JOB LOSSES DUE TO CONTINUOUS ROLLING BLACKOUTS

“According to the Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Tasneem Motara, the country experienced around 3212 hours of load-shedding during 2022 compared to the 1153 hours of load-shedding experienced during 2021.

“The high number of job opportunities lost highlights that the continuous rolling blackouts are harming the provincial economy,” said DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Finance, Patrick Atkinson.

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YOUTH IS THE MOST AFFECTED

Atkinson added that the most people that are losing out on job opportunities are the youth.

“The higher stages of load-shedding are making it difficult for small businesses to operate, especially those that rely on electricity for production,” said Atkinson.

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DA IN GAUTENG SAYS IT WILL FIGHT TIRELESSLY TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) will tomorrow, 16 May release the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the first quarter of 2023.

The DA said it expects the unemployment rate in Gauteng to increase due to blackouts.

It further said that it will continue to put pressure on Premier Panyaza Lesufi to urgently find a solution to the current load-shedding crisis in the province.

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This article was originally published by SINOTHANDO SIYOLO.