Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe says unemployment rates are unlikely to drop so long as local and global growth remains low, according to Business Day.
According to Business Day, SA grew by 0.5% in 2016 and Treasury expects growth of 1.3% in 2017 — well below the National Development Plan's (NDP) target of 5.4%.
Unemployment is at about 27% and climbing.
Radebe reportedly made the remarks in a reply to a parliamentary question on Monday. He said there might be a small recovery in growth by 2020, when the country might grow at 2%.
Business Day quoted Radebe saying: "Unemployment rates are likely to remain high with lower growth. As part of the global economy, SA is not immune to the challenges facing other countries."
He reportedly said that despite the weak "economic environment" , and that external factors had severely impacted on the economy. But there was some progress, he reportedly said.
For example, the 2014-2019 medium–term strategic framework mandated different government bodies to align their plans to the NDP. This was to ensure policy coherence across government.
"The medium term strategic framework outlines programmes and key interventions, particularly in core productive sectors," said Radebe.