What farmers can teach us about hope
Ever since South Africa went into its first COVID-19 lockdown in March last year, it seemed as if for every one step forward the country took, it took two steps back. Over the past two years, unemployment has increased from 30,1% to 34,9%, and just as economic growth was starting to show sustained signs of recovery, the third-quarter GDP figures dipped by 1,5% due, in large part, to tighter COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and the civil unrest that took place in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July. If we look at the data for the expanded definition of unemployment, as given by Statistics South Africa, the unemployment rate for South Africa now stands at 46,6%. This means that almost half of the adult population that is available to work is without a…