This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
South Africa's economy was already in recession before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the strict lockdown imposed at the end of March further squeezed businesses and consumers.
According to Statistics South Africa, the unemployment rate of 30.1% was up from 29.1% in the final quarter of last year, with 7.1 million people without jobs in the first quarter, up from 6.7 million in the previous quarter.
Statistician General Risenga Maluleke noted, "This is the first (time) ever that we have hit the 30 per cent mark."
Under the expanded definition of unemployment, which includes people who have stopped looking for work, the rate was 39.7% compared with 38.7% in the previous quarter.
President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement of a further easing of lockdown restrictions has brought some relief, but small businesses fear recovery will take longer.
"Looking at the fact that we’ve cut down on staff coming in and looking at shifts, I think... our revenue is also going to be cut by half in the long run," said Candi & Co salon owner Cola Mthembu.
