NW tops jobless charts despite producing 80% of SA’s platinum

The North West province cannot continue to wear the shameful badge of being South Africa’s “headquarters of unemployment” while sitting on some of the world’s richest mineral reserves.

Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Madoda Sambatha delivered this stark message at the provincial Kgothakgothe held at Sun City Resort outside Rustenburg.

“We cannot celebrate being the headquarters of unemployment when we are the national headquarters of minerals. Eighty percent of platinum group metals (PGMs) are produced in the North West and Limpopo,” Sambatha told delegates.

Speaking on behalf of North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi, Sambatha said it was unacceptable that North West and Limpopo remain among the poorest provinces despite their vast mineral wealth.

According to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of 2025, the North West has the highest unemployment rate in the country. The expanded unemployment rate stands between 52.5% and 54.7%, while the official rate is about 40.1%.

More than half of the province’s working-age population is without work, with a labour absorption rate of just 31.6%.

The kgothakgothe was convened as a platform for leaders to reflect, engage and chart a clear path towards improving governance and accelerating service delivery.

Sambatha said mining companies have yet to recognise the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District as a key labour-sending region.

“Until that happens, mining companies will not invest in improving the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region, even though it supplies workers to mines in Rustenburg and Klerksdorp,” he said. 

He also warned municipalities to prioritise the appointment of properly qualified officials.