Unemployment rate during each mayor's tenure
8 mayors, ranked by how the unemployment 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 |  Mxolisi Siyonzana | Bloemfontein | 16 Aug 2021 – 6 Mar 2023 | +9.0 pp Q2 2021 → Q4 2022 | +10.9 pp province −1.9 pp | +6.0 pp/yr | |
| 2 | Babalwa Lobishe | Gqeberha | 31 Oct 2024 – now | +8.6 pp Q3 2024 → Q2 2026 | −1.7 pp province +10.3 pp | +4.9 pp/yr | |
| 3 | DA Dan Plato | Cape Town | 6 Nov 2018 – 18 Nov 2021 | +6.4 pp Q3 2018 → Q3 2021 | +0.5 pp province +5.9 pp | +2.1 pp/yr | |
| 4 | N Thsonono Buyeye | Gqeberha | 5 Dec 2019 – 4 Dec 2020 | +5.6 pp Q3 2019 → Q3 2020 | −3.7 pp province +9.3 pp | +5.6 pp/yr | |
| 5 | Xola Pakati | East London | 18 Aug 2016 – 23 Mar 2023 | +5.4 pp Q2 2016 → Q4 2022 | −8.1 pp province +13.5 pp | +0.8 pp/yr | |
| 6 | Geoff Makhubo | Johannesburg | 4 Dec 2019 – 9 Jul 2021 | +4.9 pp Q3 2019 → Q2 2021 | +0.5 pp province +4.4 pp | +2.8 pp/yr | |
| 7 | DA Herman Mashaba | Johannesburg | 22 Aug 2016 – 4 Dec 2019 | +4.0 pp Q2 2016 → Q3 2019 | +2.5 pp province +1.5 pp | +1.2 pp/yr | |
| 8 | DA Athol Trollip | Gqeberha | 18 Aug 2016 – 27 Aug 2018 | +3.0 pp Q2 2016 → Q2 2018 | −2.6 pp province +5.6 pp | +1.5 pp/yr | |
| 9 | DA Solly Msimanga | Pretoria | 19 Aug 2016 – 12 Feb 2019 | +2.9 pp Q2 2016 → Q4 2018 | +3.4 pp province −0.5 pp | +1.2 pp/yr | |
| 10 | Alfred Mtsi | East London | 11 Jun 2015 – 18 Aug 2016 | +2.4 pp Q1 2015 → Q2 2016 | +3.4 pp province −1.0 pp | +1.9 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 labour force, 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 metropolitan municipality, from 2015 · metropolitan municipality data · as of Apr 2026.