Employment rate during each mayor's tenure
8 mayors, ranked by how the employment rate changed from their first day in office, next to the province over the same months. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | Mayor | City | In office | Total | vs province | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DA Geordin Hill-Lewis | Cape Town | 18 Nov 2021 – now | +8.3 pp Q3 2021 → Q2 2026 | −0.3 pp province +8.6 pp | +1.7 pp/yr | |
| 2 | N Lebohang Masoetsa | Bloemfontein | 14 Aug 2020 – 16 Aug 2021 | +6.9 pp Q2 2020 → Q2 2021 | +2.5 pp province +4.4 pp | +6.9 pp/yr | |
| 3 |  Princess Faku | East London | 23 Mar 2023 – now | +5.8 pp Q4 2022 → Q2 2026 | +7.8 pp province −2.0 pp | +1.7 pp/yr | |
| 4 | DA Mpho Phalatse | Johannesburg | 22 Nov 2021 – 27 Jan 2023 | +5.0 pp Q3 2021 → Q4 2022 | +1.7 pp province +3.3 pp | +4.0 pp/yr | |
| 5 | DA Randall Williams | Pretoria | 30 Oct 2020 – 28 Feb 2023 | +5.0 pp Q3 2020 → Q4 2022 | +3.0 pp province +2.0 pp | +2.2 pp/yr | |
| 6 | DA Nqaba Bhanga | Gqeberha | 4 Dec 2020 – 22 Nov 2021 | +3.5 pp Q3 2020 → Q3 2021 | +3.7 pp province −0.2 pp | +3.5 pp/yr | |
| 7 | DA Athol Trollip | Gqeberha | 18 Aug 2016 – 27 Aug 2018 | +3.1 pp Q2 2016 → Q2 2018 | +2.6 pp province +0.5 pp | +1.5 pp/yr | |
| 8 | Mxolisi Siyonzana | Bloemfontein | 16 Aug 2021 – 6 Mar 2023 | +1.0 pp Q2 2021 → Q4 2022 | −2.4 pp province +3.4 pp | +0.7 pp/yr | |
| 9 | AIC Sivuyile Ngodwana | Ekurhuleni | 30 Mar 2023 – 11 Apr 2024 | +0.9 pp Q4 2022 → Q1 2024 | +0.3 pp province +0.6 pp | +0.7 pp/yr | |
| 10 | NA Gary van Niekerk | Gqeberha | 26 May 2023 – 31 Oct 2024 | +0.7 pp Q1 2023 → Q3 2024 | +0.6 pp province +0.1 pp | +0.5 pp/yr |
Showing 10 of 33 tenures.
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last quarter complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that period had no data, or because the period cut it); the province is measured over the same months. Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in pp; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. % of the population aged 15-64 · Statistics South Africa, Quarterly Labour Force Survey (P0211, trends workbook, Table 2.3), people aged 15-64, the official definition, not seasonally adjusted, the absorption rate, the metropolitan municipality, from 2015 · metropolitan municipality data · as of Apr 2026.