Employment rate during each premier's tenure
9 premiers, ranked by how the employment rate changed from their first day in office, next to South Africa over the same months. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | Premier | Country | In office | Total | vs South Africa | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stanley Mathabatha | Limpopo | 18 Jul 2013 – 14 Jun 2024 | +5.2 pp Q2 2013 → Q1 2024 | +6.8 pp South Africa −1.6 pp | +0.5 pp/yr | |
| 2 | Nomusa Dube-Ncube | KwaZulu-Natal | 10 Aug 2022 – 14 Jun 2024 | +4.6 pp Q2 2022 → Q1 2024 | +2.6 pp South Africa +2.0 pp | +2.6 pp/yr | |
| 3 | Cassel Mathale | Limpopo | 3 Mar 2009 – 18 Jul 2013 | +2.7 pp Q4 2008 → Q2 2013 | +6.6 pp South Africa −3.9 pp | +0.6 pp/yr | |
| 4 | Supra Mahumapelo | North West | 21 May 2014 – 9 May 2018 | +2.2 pp Q1 2014 → Q1 2018 | +1.5 pp South Africa +0.7 pp | +0.6 pp/yr | |
| 5 | Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae | Free State | 14 Jun 2024 – now | +1.3 pp Q1 2024 → Q2 2026 | +2.4 pp South Africa −1.1 pp | +0.6 pp/yr | |
| 6 | Thandi Modise | North West | 19 Nov 2010 – 21 May 2014 | +0.5 pp Q3 2010 → Q1 2014 | −1.0 pp South Africa +1.5 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 7 | Hazel Jenkins | Northern Cape | 6 May 2009 – 20 Feb 2012 | +0.5 pp Q1 2009 → Q4 2011 | +3.6 pp South Africa −3.1 pp | +0.2 pp/yr | |
| 8 | Sylvia Lucas | Northern Cape | 30 Apr 2013 – 22 May 2019 | +0.5 pp Q1 2013 → Q1 2019 | 0.0 pp South Africa +0.5 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 9 | DA Alan Winde | Western Cape | 22 May 2019 – now | +0.1 pp Q1 2019 → Q2 2026 | +3.1 pp South Africa −3.0 pp | 0.0 pp/yr | |
| 10 | David Mabuza | Mpumalanga | 6 May 2009 – 27 Feb 2018 | −0.2 pp Q1 2009 → Q4 2017 | +2.2 pp South Africa −2.4 pp | 0.0 pp/yr |
Showing 10 of 34 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); South Africa 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 province, from 2008 · province data · as of Sep 2026.