A Government of National Unity (GNU) through Department of Employment and Labour is seeking to collaborate in an effort to curb unemployment rate in the country.
The department of labour and employment said the intended partnership between these agencies is aiming to create more than 234 000 new job opportunities.
Departmental spokesperson Trevor Hattingh said the department would be spearheading this initiative with Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
The UIF Commissioner Teboho Maruping said over the next three years, these opportunities would provide crucial support to small, medium, and micro enterprises.
“Organisations including the Small Enterprise Finance Agency, Small Enterprise Development Agency, National Youth Development Agency, National Empowerment Fund, as well as the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, will receive more than R7.7 billion from the UIF to implement the interventions,” said Maruping.
He revealed this during an Employment and Labour Ministerial meeting with UIF management in Pretoria early this week.
“The Ministerial meeting forms part of the Ministry’s engagements with entities and branches of the Department of Employment and Labour.
During the meeting, the UIF provided a comprehensive briefing to the Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth. The briefing encompassed key aspects such as the Fund's mandate, programmes, performance, financial standing, business processes, and employment creation interventions,” UIF commission added.
Maruping outlined that in addition to collaborating with private businesses via the Labour Activation Programme, the Fund would also capitalise on existing government programmes and interventions to mitigate unemployment.
He emphasised, that the collaborations with other government entities, many of whom would match the UIF funding contributions with equal investment, were intended to enhance the Department's ongoing efforts over the next three years.
Maruping further stated that more information about these partnerships would be disclosed during the official launches, which were expected to take place in the current financial year.
"We are presently conducting a probity exercise to evaluate the feasibility of these interventions. If they prove to be beneficial, we will finalise agreements and proceed with their implementation". This assurance came from Maruping, reinforcing the commitment to these initiatives”.
Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth said the potential impact of this partnerships should be welcomed because it would assist in massifying much-needed employment creation and boost entrepreneurship in townships and villages.
Meth however, cautioned that governance structures need to be tightened to ensure money lands with organisations that have the capabilities to deliver on agreements, whether government or private.
She emphasised the service delivery approach and Batho Pele were a key to UIF work.
“The UIF is a public entity under the Department of Employment and Labour that provides short-term relief to workers who become unemployed or are unable to work due to maternity, parental, illness, adoption, and support to dependents of deceased contributors,” she explained.
Saturday Star