MATLOSANA, North West — The North West unemployment rate has escalated to 38.1%, sparking urgent demands from Matlosana residents for the immediate reopening of local mines to stem the tide of regional job losses. With the province shedding 15,000 jobs in the second quarter of 2026, communities in Tigane and Hartbeesfontein are pushing local leadership for tangible, accelerated economic relief.
The province’s official jobless rate jumped from 35.3% in a single quarter, marking one of the most severe quarterly increases recorded nationally. More alarmingly, the expanded unemployment rate—which includes discouraged work-seekers and the potential labor force—has climbed to 56.0%, the highest figure currently recorded in South Africa.
For the more than 36,000 residents of Tigane and Hartbeesfontein, these macroeconomic figures reflect a stark daily reality. The community relies almost entirely on a single major employer, the Supreme mine, which currently employs fewer than 1,500 locals. This structural bottleneck leaves upwards of 33,000 residents without access to formal employment, highlighting a severe and localized jobs crisis.
In a bid to force administrative action, desperate job seekers recently converged on a local sports ground, bringing their CVs in hand. Community leaders clarified that these resumes are not intended for direct municipal hiring. Instead, they serve as tangible leverage for municipal officials to present to bureaucrats, visually demonstrating the scale of the crisis and accelerating negotiations to reopen dormant mining operations in the area.
The prevailing community sentiment has shifted from mere frustration to outright anger. Residents argue that the few opportunities that do emerge are monopolized by a select few, deepening systemic economic exclusion. Community advocates pointed directly to the government’s failure to effectively execute the second phase of the National Development Plan (NDP). With only four years remaining until the NDP’s targeted completion deadline, locals warn that economic conditions for the youth are deteriorating rather than improving.
This crisis is further compounded by reports that people with disabilities are being systematically sidelined from the limited employment opportunities that do arise, raising serious concerns about equitable economic participation in the region.
A memorandum outlining these grievances was recently submitted and received on behalf of Executive Mayor Fikile Mahlophe. Addressing the gathering, a local councilor acknowledged the community’s plight but admitted that no tangible timeframe for the mine’s reopening could be provided, citing complex, ongoing administrative and regulatory processes.
Despite the lack of a concrete timeline, the councilor assured residents that the municipality is actively advocating for the local community to be designated as the sole beneficiaries of the mine once it resumes operations.
However, community patience is wearing thin. The residents have now issued a strict 14-day deadline for the Matlosana Local Municipality to formally respond to their memorandum of demands, signaling that the window for peaceful negotiation is rapidly closing as the regional jobs crisis deepens.
