This is according to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) during a week-long oversight visit to the province. NCOP’s Deputy Chairperson, Raseriti Tau, says the province is currently receiving a small equitable share from National Treasury as compared to other provinces. He says this, therefore, affects the province’s ability to address the socio-economic challenges they are faced with. Tau adds that this is a huge problem taking into consideration that the revenue base of the province is minimal and that there is an over-reliance from the national grants. 

 “The picture in this province depicts that there are many challenges. At the heart of it is the fiscal challenge. The kind of equitable share that the province is receiving from national fiscal does not allow and create space for the province to really do what they are supposed to do. Whether it be the question of reducing unemployment, poverty, and inequality. It becomes quite challenging because by nature this province is not an income generating province like other provinces such as Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape.”

According to Stats SA the highest employment losses were recorded in the Free State (24 000) and the Northern Cape (14 000) for the last quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year, while the largest employment gains were observed in Gauteng (81 000), Mpumalanga (62 000) and the Western Cape (21 000).

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