By Lesedi Mkhize
South Africa’s unemployment crisis has deepened, with the latest figures released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) showing that the country’s official unemployment rate climbed to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 32.7% in the previous quarter.
The increase means even more South Africans are struggling to find work in an already constrained job market.
For communities like Komati, where many residents are already struggling to find work and opportunities, these numbers are more than just statistics.
They tell the story of people who continue to search for work despite repeated setbacks.
The latest figures paint a bleak picture for those sending out CV after CV, waiting for that life-changing phone call and competing against thousands of others for a handful of available jobs.
According to Stats SA, the number of unemployed people increased by 345,000, pushing the total number of unemployed South Africans to around 8.5 million.
Behind this staggering figure are millions of people waking up each day without the security of an income, families struggling to put food on the table, young graduates searching for their first opportunity, and parents doing everything they can to provide for their loved ones.
At the same time, South Africa had about 16.7 million employed people, 16,000 fewer than in the previous quarter.
The labour force also grew by 329,000, meaning more people entered the job market looking for work, but there were not enough jobs to meet the demand.
Women continue to bear the brunt of the unemployment crisis
Perhaps most concerning is the impact on women. The unemployment rate among women aged 15 to 64 stood at 37.5%, compared with 30.3% for men.
That gap matters. It means women continue to face greater difficulty finding work, despite many actively searching for employment and contributing to their households and communities.
For women in communities such as Komati Village, Blinkpan, Koornfontein, surrounding farms and nearby areas, where employment opportunities can already be limited, finding sustainable work remains a major challenge.
Young people remain a major concern
While unemployment among young people remains deeply concerning, young people in Komati continue to struggle to find employment in the face of the Just Energy Transition and ongoing skills shortages.
The unemployment rate among people aged 15 to 34 increased to 47.4%, from 45.9% in the previous quarter.
For many young people in Komati and surrounding communities, being without work means being unable to fully participate in the economy, earn an income and contribute meaningfully to the economic development of their communities.
As the community continues to navigate the transition following the shutdown of the Komati Power Station, access to relevant skills, training and meaningful employment remains critical to ensuring that young people are not left behind.
But against this backdrop, the latest figures are deeply discouraging, raising concerns about whether enough opportunities are being created for young people to build a future and play a meaningful role in the local economy.
Some sectors created jobs, but others lost them
There were some positive movements during the quarter, with sectors such as trade, construction and finance creating new jobs.
Trade added around 70,000 jobs, construction added 39,000, while finance added about 11,000.
For a community like Komati, where many people are looking for new opportunities following the shutdown of the power station, these gains offer some hope. However, job creation remains uneven across the economy.
Community and social services lost around 57,000 jobs, while mining shed about 26,000. Agriculture and manufacturing each lost around 15,000 jobs.
For young people in Komati and surrounding coal-belt communities, this highlights the importance of having the right skills and training to access opportunities in sectors that are growing, particularly as the area adjusts to the realities of the Just Energy Transition.
Komati continues to navigate the realities of the transition following the shutdown of the Komati Power Station.
For residents, economic transition is therefore not simply about changing the way electricity is generated.
It is also about whether new and sustainable economic opportunities can be created for the people who live here.
The numbers tell only part of the story
But behind the headline unemployment figure is an even more troubling reality for millions of South Africans who want to work but cannot find enough opportunities.
When people who are unemployed, have become discouraged from looking for work, or are working fewer hours than they would like are included, the expanded rate of labour underutilisation rises to 46.3%.
There is, however, one small positive movement.
The number of discouraged work-seekers decreased by 227,000 to 3.7 million.
Even so, the figure shows just how many people remain on the sidelines of the economy, unable to find the work and opportunities they need.
What happens next?
Economist John Loos says several economic pressures may have affected job creation, including higher inflation, rising fuel prices and the country’s first interest rate increase in May.
But behind these numbers are real people, people sending out CVs, searching for work and hoping for an opportunity to earn a living.
For Komati and surrounding communities, the latest unemployment figures are a reminder of the urgent need to create local economic opportunities, particularly for women and young people, as the area continues to find its place in a changing economy.
The question is no longer only about how many people are unemployed nationally.
It is also about what can be done locally to ensure that communities like Komati are not left behind.
