Checked 27 October 2026
Where the facts in this claim come from
Every fact on the claim page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
What does the evidence show?
Why it is Verified
Stats SA's April-June 2026 survey puts Cape Town's broad unemployment rate at 24.3%. Buffalo City, the next lowest metro, is at 35.3%. The broad rate is called LU3. It counts the unemployed. It also counts people who are available for work but not looking, or looking but not yet available. That means about one in four people in Cape Town's broad workforce has no work. In Buffalo City it is more than one in three. Each rate has a margin of error (how far off a survey number could be). The 11-point gap is bigger than both margins added together, so it is a real gap.
City of Cape Town. Published 20 August 2026.
Where to look: Speech text, sentence 'In Cape Town, the broad unemployment rate is a full 11 percentage points lower than the next best metro.' (what was said)
Stats SA. Published 11 August 2026.
Where to look: Table 2.3, row 'LU3 - Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force' (the broad rate), Apr-Jun 2026: City of Cape Town 24,3 (printed page 30); Buffalo City 35,3 and Nelson Mandela Bay 38,1 (printed page 32); Mangaung 41,2 (page 34); eThekwini 37,8 (page 36); Ekurhuleni 42,7 and City of Johannesburg 40,1 (page 38); City of Tshwane 38,8 (page 39)
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