Western Cape finance MEC Alan Winde. Picture: TREVOR SAMSON
Alan Winde. Picture: TREVOR SAMSON

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THE Western Cape government, run by the Democratic Alliance (DA), is leading the country in job creation and economic growth, Alan Winde, the province’s finance‚ economic development and tourism MEC, said on Sunday.

Mr Winde was reacting to reports at the weekend that quoted African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe as saying that economic growth in the Western Cape had been reversed under the DA.

Mr Mantashe reportedly told a crowd attending an election rally in Eldorado Park, Soweto, at the weekend that in the past four years Gauteng had, under the ANC, created 442,000 jobs while the DA created 92,000 jobs in the Western Cape. He also claimed most of the jobs in that province were for white people.

The issue of job creation has been central in political debate ahead of the May 7 general election and forms a key component of both the ANC’s and the DA’s election manifestos.

The ANC is pushing hard to win back the Western Cape — South Africa’s second-wealthiest province — after losing power in 2009. It is the only province not under ANC control.

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The DA, meanwhile, has been is using its "Western Cape story" to drive its national election campaign ahead of general polls. The campaign highlights the successes achieved by the provincial government and the City of Cape Town council, which is also under DA control.

Mr Winde said on Sunday that the Western Cape offered citizens the best opportunity to find a job in the country. He said more than 270,000 jobs had been created there since 2009.

"According to Statistics SA’s latest quarterly labour force survey, 141,000 new jobs were created in South Africa by the end of 2013. Of these, 98,000 jobs were created in the Western Cape and 43,000 in the eight ANC-controlled provinces," he said.

"While South Africa’s unemployment rate stands at 34%, the Western Cape’s unemployment stands at 22% — the lowest in the country. Since the end of 2012 South Africa’s unemployed population grew by 121,000, while the Western Cape’s unemployed population has shrunk by 48,000."

He added that the Labour Market Dynamics Report released this week by Statistics SA also revealed that the Western Cape had the highest transition rate among youth — a measure of the number of the non-economically active youth moving into employment.

"The province has the lowest percentage of discouraged work seekers in the country (and) the highest rate of people moving from contract positions to permanent positions," Mr Winde said.

He said the provincial government had introduced many interventions over the last five years to encourage sustained economic growth; attract, develop and retain skills and capital; and drive infrastructure development.

These included helping 22,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with support and finance through the establishment of 20 SME access points across the province, and the Enterprise and Development Fund, which has committed R20m in loan funding to black-owned businesses, of which 52% are owned by women.

"While the ANC continues spreading lies ahead of the upcoming elections, the Western Cape government will continue delivering a better life to people living in the province," Mr Winde said.

Meanwhile, the ANC’s campaigning in the Western Cape went into overdrive at the weekend as President Jacob Zuma visited Cape Town to celebrate his 72nd birthday. This was his second visit to the Mother City in as many weeks. The ANC held a celebration rally in Vygieskraal Stadium, Athlone, on Saturday where Mr Zuma addressed thousands of supporters.

"The ANC is your home, you do not need to be afraid," he said. "Some are using ‘swart gevaar’ tactics and are distorting government policies and programmes as they are desperate for your support."

Mr Zuma also said affirmative action was designed to protect and promote the coloured community as well, not just Africans, and the ANC would make sure more coloured people were promoted, especially in the Western Cape.

Coloured people make up 49% of the province’s population. The ANC in the Western Cape has opposed some of the proposed regulations contained in the Employment Equity Act, particularly a clause that requires companies with 150 or more employees to use national demographics as "a guide" in setting targets for top, senior and professional employees.