Wednesday, 12 August 2026

Statistician Duma Kuule said unemployment rose to 33.6% and expanded unemployment to 43.8%, warning South Africa has lost 360,000 jobs in six months and faces two decades of falling living standards.

Kuule argued government austerity is deepening the jobs crisis, saying public investment has collapsed, the labour market is not creating enough jobs for young people, and only a major infrastructure push will help.

Callers split over undocumented migrants: some demanded mass deportations and tougher borders, while others argued documentation would bring revenue, create legal access and stop exploitation by employers and officials.

Mining analyst Peter Major said the new illegal-mining bill is too little, too punitive and aimed at the wrong people, arguing decades of policy failures and investor flight created today’s zama zama economy.

Professor Patrick Bond said the Strait of Hormuz conflict is driving global oil and fertiliser prices, warning of higher inflation, weaker growth and fresh arguments over reparations and fossil-fuel profits.