4.3 million people are unemployed? As horrendous as that sounds it still won't make a dent in the support base of the govt and union alliance so there is no reason for the govt and unions to even bat an eyelash at this problem. It is only if these 4.3 million actually go and register in droves with an opposition party,only then will alarm bells start ringing at ANC headquarters,but the likely response will be swift military and state police crackdowns not houses,jobs and sanitation. Also the grant system can easily accommodate 4.3 million more people until the "coming of Jesus" as President Zuma put it, so if you don't like the status quo, well tough! Just accept this as your reality and get on with the daily task of survival.

I blame Cosatu and lack of education for all this job losses. They demand more wages and they get more wages and in turn companies reduce work force to meet payroll. Then after that they go on strike again to demand more jobs and in turn they lose more jobs because companies lose business. Well, it seems that they still haven't seen this pattern or maybe they didn't study economics. Maybe, just maybe, if they spent their energy and funds on aquiring economic advisrs we would not have this problem. Don't get me started on education. They impliment OBE & FET (which is a lot of rubbish if you ask me and I'm not just saying that just to make a statement, I went through three years of that nonsense) and they don't provide proper facilities for it. Equal Education? huh! I went to a township school and most of my friends went to model-C schools and some of my siblings are also at non-township schools and the disparities between facilities as well as differences in content is appalling. Then, they also wonder why many black students end up dropping out of varsity. Shameful!

I wonder whether Gill has considered what impact the new Gauteng Toll system (set for 2011) will have on the unemployment figure?

Jacob has misinterpreted BEE as hand outs, which most of them are. Rate cuts won't solve the problems only the relaxation of the labour laws will.Andrew Levy was trying to put this over in a nice way on the lunch time news.The Unions and labour laws have killed the country and where possible business will automate instead. Who wants the hassles of labour laws in SA, the foreign investors?...No No No. When will Vavi wake up?

WELL DONE GILL AND YOUR MPC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All taxpayers should strike, until we get good schools and free education and a good public transport system(excluding joburg in this one) And expensive cars and body guards are swapped fom VW's accross the board.

Where is the thousands of jobs that Jacob Zuma & his triparte alliance comrades promised during election time. Talk is CHEAP & economics is complex requiring the intelligence of people like Mbeki to comprehend.

Sigh, guys, you make it way to easy for folk to troll here. I don't know if Jacob is being serious or not, but before we all scramble to type out a response to him, maybe we could consider that he's some random dude just wanting to wind everyone up? Of course, there's no way I could know his intentions, granted, so I try ignore the comments that are way left field, rather than salivate at the prospect of replying. But hey ho, to each their own I guess, who am I to dictate to others?

How about people stop having kids they cannot afford to look after. They are making their problem the tax payers problem. You will see once family planning is implemented and the government grants for unmployed parents are stopped you will see unemployment and proverty sorting out itself. Still cant believe how people have kids they cant give a hopefull future. Shame on them!

The only thing increasing more rapidly than unemployment is the demand for unrealistic increases! This mentality is mind boggling....we owe it all to the ANC. Mr Zuma...those 500 000 jobs you promised? What a load of political hot air!!! Viva ANC, Viva!

WHEN GILL MARCUS BECAME GOVERNOR OF SARB I HOPED WE WERE GETTING A PRAGMATIC PERSON CAPABLE OF SEEING WHAT WAS REALLY HAPPENING IN OUR ECONOMY. SADLY I SEE THE MORE THINGS CHANGE THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME! WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO CUT RATES???

Ja Jacob, you are right, previous disadvantage people are not being treated equally, they are more privileged which I think is unfair. U can only blame 50% on Apartheid, if that. It is beacause people are getting pushed into jobs they cant do, normally midrange to top positions, this is why employment is not growing. People cant start from the top, affirmative action should have helped to build a foundation at the bottom and maybe 16 years on we would have seen some healthy and honest competition for top jobs. This in turn would attract more foreign investment, as we will be seen as a responsible and stable democracy.

Hey Jacob, why don't you move to another country where the legacy of apartheid won't hinder your career. I can recommend Zim...in fact anywhere in Africa.U must be useless at what you do cause blacks in my industry get more than an equal opportunity

Jacob, I also see white people also being discriminated against because of afirmative action. Afirmative action only replaces one person with another. It is not a producer of jobs. Weakening the rand will produce jobs in the short term but makes us all poorer. We need to ensure teaches have the skills to teach and teach properly. Our students should not have been given weeks off over the world cup - they should have continued their studies. The educated are able to employ themselves and employ others.

Shame, poor old Jacob. You will always be disadvantaged untill you stop blaming apartheid. The poor state SA find themselves in, is not due to apartheid, but due to people like you, who doesn't know how first world business works. There are hardly so-called previous advantaged people left in SA, and with government policies any previous disadvantaged person without work, is just purely to lazy to work.

the job loss is due to affirmative action and comrade comrade. DUH! There are none so blind as those who refuse to see

The problem lies with unions demanding 18% wage increases during one of the most severe recessions in history and people like Jacob demanding that affirmative action be implemented instead of placing competent people in postions who actually manage to add value. The people of this country should wake-up and see the damage they are inflicting upon themselves by voting for a pasive government with rediculous policies.

Jacob - it is affirmative action that has prevented our economy from growing. I agree that there must be BEE but we have lost so much knowledge and new business because of the skills that have left our beautiful country. Jobs are continuing to be lost and still the unions want to go on strike. Eskom wants billions and put up the tariffs so we all feel it and then their workers want more money which they don't have. So it goes around again. The unions don't get it - jobs are being lost everywhere, I know of several companies that have offered voluntary pay cuts so as to retain workers and then we hear of strikes for more money from Government! Affirmative action is not the the answer - the best person for the job, regard;ess of race is the only way we will get productivity to increase. It is a sad state of affairs indeed.

But those who still have jobs will strike and rampage through the streets, till they get unreasonable pay increases. Then the employers will do the only thing left to them - shed more positions, and shrink the labour force even more, and more people will cry! Please don't be so utterly stupid as to blame apartheid as usual - we will NEVER attract foreign investors to set up businesses here as long as the laws allow striking and rioting every time the labour force decides it wants more money - good grief - I know uneducated labourers who earn more than educated white collar workers! We all knew the jobs provided in preparing for the world cup were temporary - and we all knew that the poor tax payers (the few left) would be footing the bill for the world cup for years! The ONLY solution is to educate the masses properly, so that they can create their own jobs - wow - what a brilliant idea!

Quote "Previous disadvantaged people still dont get equal opportunities in the work place". End Quote. Bullsh1t!! Jacob if every job occupied by a previous "advantaged" person is vacated in SA and prvoiusly "disadvantaged" are employed in these postions, my questions is what are you going to do with the millions that will still be poor and unemployed, due to the fact that there are simply too many people for our economy to employ everybody? Now Jacob tie "it" in a knot an stop multiplying......

Government is buying new cars spending money etc. Great stuff while the private sector suffers !!!!!1 Can you not see that all Governments arrount globe are reducing staff or freezing salaries!!!!!

If less libraries and schools were burt, maybe an education would be had, then get a decent job and decent pay accordingly..AA and BEE are no good in the long run.

Next time, rather skip the 12% increase, do not strike, and see whether job losses go up or down

The legacy of Apartheid is dwindling when compared to the legacy of the ANC. Where are Zuma's 1mil jobs? Jacob; Affirmative action must be increased so we can benefit - who is we??

@ Jacob. You are a fool and like many others will continue to use apartheid as an excuse instead of standing up and admitting that the current government is corrupt and failing. Affirmative action does not work. Just look at Zimbabwe, Zambia and many other countries that have tried it. To be successful, the skills of the country; whatever colour; need to be retained. BEE will serve one thing only; and that is to further the brain drain of the country. Jacob, move on, be a man and instead of moaning about the past, rather focus energy onto making SA a success for all. If you were so against apartheid, then what do you call BEE. It is apartheid in another form. Let things progress naturally without political interference and the natural balance will happen. In the meantime I say give the best qualified person the job regardless of colour. The same goes for sport. Choose on merit, not colour. Enough said. The SA economy was falsely propped up by the SWC whilst the rest of the world was in heavy recession. Reality is now hitting home. What did you honestly think would happen when the stadiums, roads, gautrain, etc were finished? Lay offs were inevitable. Like the rest of the world, it is going to get tougher before it gets better. Stop demanding ridiculous increases, stop striking and be thankful that you have a job.

And expect liquidations to increase. And no rate cut. Bring me evidence anywhere in the world that high interest rates - well above the inflation rate is good for business.

@Jacob, are you related to Julius? BEE has brought one good thing to white south africans, we are now forced to start our own businesses. Corporate SA will continue to employ sub standard BEE candidates to please government and get continued contracts, and they will fail. ESKOM, TRANSNET do I have to continue?

(JACOB) you cab play the blaim game as long as you want but the BEE have had many uears to get things working but did the country worse wake up for once in your life. i feel sorry for the people that lost there jobs i with the ANC would stop spending money on crap and put it to good use.

@ Jacob. Thats the kind of thinking that inspires absolutely no connfidence in any normal human in this country! Why don't we try blaming theft, greed and incompetence rather?

(JACOB) you cab play the blaim game as long as you want but the BEE have had many uears to get things working but did the country worse wake up for once in your life. i feel sorry for the people that lost there jobs i with the ANC would stop spending money on crap and put it to good use.

Previous disadvantaged people still dont get equal opportunities in the work place. The legacy of Apartheid caused so much poverty and unemployment. Affirmative action must be increased so we can benefit.

Did I not hear that SWC was a great success? We were promised lots of jobs that would last long after SWC. Manufacturing was going to grow etc etc. Car sales are down and many have closed doors. IT & Telecoms is in panic. Seen how many farms are for sale? B&B's are empty & 60% are for sale.Until SA can get the tourists back we are going down. But who will come now that crime is so in focus again?

Tax base shrinking, but not in the public sector.

Ja welll. I'm one of them