Hansard: NCOP: Unrevised hansard
House: National Council of Provinces
Date of Meeting: 15 Jun 2022
Summary
No summary available.
Minutes
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
WEDNESDAY, 15 JUNE 2022
Watch: Plenary
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
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The Council met at 14:00
The Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon delegates, before we proceed I would like to remind you of the following; the virtual sitting constitutes a sitting of the National Council of Provinces, and the place of the sitting is deemed to be Cape Town where the sitting of the National Council of Provinces is, that delegates in the virtual platform enjoy the same powers and privileges that apply in a sitting of the National Council of Provinces, that for the purpose of a quorum all delegates who are logged on the virtual platform shall be considered present, that delegates must switch on their videos if they want to speak, that the delegates should ensure that the microphones on their gadgets are muted and must always remain muted, that the interpretation facility is active andthat any delegate who wishes to speak must use the “raise your hand” function or icon. Any delegate who wishes to raise a point of order should, in accordance with Rule 69 (3), indicate in terms which Rule he or she is rising on. Having said that, hon members, hon delegates, I have also been informed that there will be no notices of motion or motions without notice
CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ENTERPRISES AND COMMUNICATION - FINAL ACTS OF THE ITU WORLD RADIO CONFERENCE 2019, DATED 25 MAY 2022
Mr Z MKIVA: Chairperson, good afternoon to you and good afternoon to the hon members of this House, and allow me also to make a special greeting to Minister Nxesi and the Deputy Minister, as well as the special delegates joining us this afternoon, especially the MECs from the respective provinces
of our country, I rise in this plenary to a table a report flowing from the Select Committee on Public Enterprises and Communication. This report flows from the adoption of it in the select committee on 25 May this year, wherein we had to consider the World Radiocommunication Conference, WRC, which was held in 2019. As you might be aware, hon members, the World Radiocommunication Conference was concluded on 22 November 2019 with agreements reached by some 3 400 delegates from 163 member states. These agreements are enshrined in the Provisional Final Acts of the Radio Regulations, the
international treaty governing the global use of radio frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. The then Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, signed the International Telecommunications Union World Radio Communication Conference 2019 Final Acts on behalf of the Republic of South Africa at the conclusion of the conference on 22 November 2019 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Telecommunications is the key enabler to achieving the sustainable developmental goals and building a world where social, economic, environmental and technological development is sustainable and available for everyone everywhere. Technology is such as mobile communication connected to cars
and cities. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence all depend on telecommunication network services and applications and increasingly rely on radar communication to provide the basis for connectivity. The WRC 2019 opened new orbital slots for broadcasting and satellite, and provided developing countries with the opportunity to regain access to spectrum orbit resources. This is enabled by a resolution on priority mechanism, especially set for these countries. The World Radio Conference 2019 defined a stable regulatory framework for non-geostationary satellite systems based on a milestone process, enabling mega-constellations to rapidly come to fruition. The need for connectivity everywhere at all times has also led to the decision made on Earth Station in motion of tremendous importance to connect people while in planes, ships and trains.
The conference identified globally-harmonised millimetre wavebands for international mobile telecommunication for the future development of the fifth generation, 5G, technology while taking measures to protect vital resources used for scientific services such as earth exploration satellite services, particularly bands used for meteorological measurements that enable weather forecasting. The conference declared the commitment of the sector to gender equality and gender balance. Member states and sector members declared they will urgently undertake active measures toward increasing the percentage of women engineers in the radio communication sector.
In signing the World Radio Conference 2019 treaty, the Minister and her delegation of the Republic of South Africa made the following declarations; The Republic of South Africa reserves the right to take any action as it may deem necessary to safeguard its interest should any member of the
International Telecommunication Union, ITU, in any way fail to comply with the provisions of the constitution and convention of the International Telecommunication Union; Should any reservation by a member of the ITU directly or indirectly affect the operation of its telecommunication services or
sovereignty, the Republic of South Africa reserves its right to take any action it may deem necessary to safeguard its interest in the World Communication Conference.
The committee, responsible for communication and public enterprises considered and deliberated on this report. And we then adopted it on 25th May this year. The committee approves and we now want, as we table it in this august House, to also duly adopt this report as it is in line with the country’s interest and strategy, in terms of the trajectory of a developmental state. I, therefore, put it to the House, Chair, to adopt it accordingly. Thank you, Chairperson.
Debate concluded.
Declaration of vote:
Ms C LABUSCHAGNE: Hon Chairperson, indeed the Select Committee on Public Enterprises and Communication, met to consider the following Act of the International Communication Union, ITU, World Radio Conference in 2019 and in essence we are not in disagreement with the approval of the final Act. However, it is worth mentioning that the poor network connectivity that is mostly experience by rural communication, is as a result of the spectrum allocation, decided at this conference. More often than not, the rural cases or rural areas are mostly negatively affected by the skewed spectrum allocation in favour of urban areas. Every effort must be made to address or provide much more stable connectivity.
South Africa has failed to meet its target of migrating from analog to digital ... [Inaudible.] ... one extension of another one. This has not only had bad development in our country but has also delayed our neighbouring countries successful who have successfully completed migration.
The Western Cape calls on the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies to move with speed in concluding the long overdue project. I thank you.
Debate concluded.
Question put: That the Report be agreed to.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape. Report accordingly agreed to in accordance with Section 65 of the Constitution.
POLICY DEBATE ON BUDGET VOTE NO 31: EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR
(Appropriation Bill)
The MINISTER OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR: Chairperson and members of the NCOP, the Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, particularly the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, the chair and the members of the select committee, the hon MECs and representatives of the provinces, the Director-General, and senior management of the department and its entities, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, I want to begin by flagging what I call a South African achievement. The successful Fifth Global Conference for the Elimination of Child Labour – held in Durban recently – a success in the face of ... [Inaudible.] ... bringing 3 000 conference guests to the province would contribute to the tourism and hospitality sector, with thousands more viewing on the virtual platform and able to see what South Africa can offer.
And of course, it was important that we continued to provide this important platform to bring together social partners and civil society from around the world to engage and share best practice for the purpose of eliminating child labour by 2025 in line with the sustainable goals set by the United Nations.
So, our thanks for the support from across government, from the Presidency to national departments, to the Premier of the province and the municipality. With regards to the Budget Vote, strategically, the department seeks to leverage its existing programmes to intensify its employment mandate whilst continuing to play a regulatory role in the labour market to promote equitable, safe and decent work, and provide social protection to workers. This approach underpins our efforts to reconfigure the department to strengthen the employment mandate. These tasks are made more difficult by the unprecedented levels of unemployment currently standing at 34,5% according to the Statistics SA Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of 2022 — a slight improvement on the previous quarter at 35,3%.
Similarly, a 1,9% gross domestic product, GDP, growth for
quarter one of 2022 gives grounds for cautious optimism — with
GDP returning to pre-COVID levels.
The factors behind high unemployment are well-known. The
economy was already sluggish before the pandemic. The
lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19 came at a heavy price
— a 7% fall in economic activity and the shedding of up to
2 million jobs. As economic activity started to recover last
year we were hit by the July criminal riots further destroying
livelihoods. Again, most recently, Kwazulu-Natal faced
devastating floods which destroyed lives, infrastructure and
jobs. International events and economic trends have generally
not assisted.
Under the current circumstances of high unemployment, the
state has to intervene, including via the Presidential
Employment Stimulus has already benefitted some 800 000 South
Africans, youth in particular. In recent years, the department
has received a favourable unqualified audit from the Auditor-
General. In respect of the 2021-22 audit that is currently
underway, it is envisaged that, once again, an unqualified
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opinion will be received. The same applies for the Commission
for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, CCMA,
Productivity SA and National Economic Development and Labour
Council, Nedlac. We also anticipate improved findings for the
two funds which are the Unemployment Insurance Fund, UIF, and
Compensation Fund.
Plans are being implemented to fundamentally review the
organisational architecture, systems and processes of the
funds. This will not happen overnight, and there are no short-
cuts to fixing systemic problems. Forensic auditors have been
engaged to address the widespread fraud and corruption which
occurred in the funds. The benefits in the case of the UIF
COVID-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme, TERS,
programme, are already being felt with the return of nearly
R1 billion in irregular and illegal payments. Audit action
plans were implemented to address the areas identified by the
Office of the Auditor-General. The UIF has already moved from
a disclaimer to a qualified audit — a gain achieved in the
face of massively increased claims for unemployment and relief
benefits.
We can agree that the key to improved performance is
strengthening good governance, and fighting fraud and
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corruption. In 2020 we announced the addition of 500
occupational health and safety, OHS, inspectors and their work
is yielding results. In 2019-20 there were 28 000 OHS
inspections. In 2021, this jumped to 62,000 inspections. Last
year there were 36 000 compliant and 26 000 non-compliant
employers, with Eastern Cape leading the field on non-
compliance at over 9 000 cases. The most common forms of non-
compliance relate to general safety regulations, COVID-19
directions, hazardous chemical substances, environmental
regulations for workplaces, electrical installation
regulations, and facilities regulations.
To deal with these challenges the branch has developed
national mega blitz inspection plans to cover backlogs and
priority areas. The inspectors will visit 839 000 workplaces
over the next five years. Enhancing social security for
workers is one of our priorities. The Compensation Fund
implemented the new claims management system and results
include an improvement in the adjudication of claims. As at 31
December 2021 a total of over 90 000 claims were received, of
which 79% were adjudicated within 30 working days of receipt.
When the Compensation Fund seeks to strengthen an efficient
online system to manage verified claims that brings the fund
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into conflict with vested interests — the third party
middlemen — an industry that grew up exactly because of the
past inefficiencies of the fund. If the fund successfully
reforms itself, the reason for their existence falls away.
That is why there are shop stewards here in Parliament who
always scream. The fund continues to ensure that medical
service providers are paid. Of the 533 000 claims received as
at 31 December 2021, 87% were finalised within 40 working days
of receipt. Some 8 000 requests for pre-authorisation of
specialised medical interventions were received during this
period and 97% were finalised within 10 working days of
receipt. The fund paid a total of R 3,3 billion in benefits,
of which 93% was paid within five working days. I believe that
members of the portfolio committee witnessed the smooth
processing of claims for both funds on their oversight visit
to the Eastern Cape.
The Compensation Fund continues with the rehabilitation
programme which includes provision of assistive devices.
Persons with disabilities are enrolled in vocational
rehabilitation programmes through post-school education and
training institutions, and they are fully funded. Return to
work programmes ensure that those who are injured in the
workplace are reintegrated into the labour market.
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The UIF played a significant role during the lockdown period.
In a drive to cushion workers and businesses, over R64 billion
has been spent by the UIF towards COVID-19 TERS benefits,
helping sustain economic activity across every province and
community. In response to the July riots, TERS funded another
programme which we called Workers Affected by Unrest, WABU. To
date, over 4 000 employees were paid the relief at an
expenditure of about R14 million. More WABU payments will be
made upon completion of the due diligence process because we
don’t want to repeat the mistakes which were done the other
year when we were under pressure to pay the millions of
workers.
In response to the jobs crisis, the UIF has created and saved
jobs through investment with the Industrial Development
Corporation, IDC, to the tune of R5 billion over five years.
These investments support small, medium and micro enterprises,
SMMEs, black industrialists, women-owned companies and start-
ups, as well as preserving existing jobs.
Through the UIF Labour Activation Programme, LAP, which will
collect, the department contributes to training of the
unemployed as part of government initiatives to stimulate the
creation of jobs in the labour market. For the 2022-23
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financial year, the UIF’s LAP has set aside a budget of
R3,1 billion to fund the training of the unemployed, the
normal TERS, and Business Turnaround and Re-engineering.
Through the training of the unemployed programme, the fund
implements projects with implementing partners, with
employment guarantees at the end of the term of the project.
To this end, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has
already absorbed over 14 000 participants from one of the
projects funded through the Labour Activation Programme.
The Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme, the normal
scheme now and not the one for TERS, provides support to
distressed companies that seek to retain their employees. The
Business Turnaround and Recovery programme is funded by the
Unemployment Insurance Fund to provide support to enterprises
facing economic distress and initiatives aimed at preventing
job losses. Of importance is that the Labour Activation
programme has taken a strategic direction that training of the
unemployed should be demand-led and lead to employment at the
end of the training period; not training for the sake of
training.
In the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period the LAP
has planned for 75 000 participants in programmes that enhance
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... [Inaudible.] ... The UIF will continue to pursue the
government's drive to pay suppliers within 30 days. As at the
end of quarter three of 2021-22, the fund has paid 98% of its
received invoices within 30 calendar days.
To look at policy and legislation, to promote equity in the
workplace, Parliament, on 29 November 2021, ratified the
International Labour Organisation, ILO, Convention 190
concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the
workplace. In order to fulfil the international obligations
that emanate from this, the department developed — in
consultation with social partners — a step-by-step, practical
Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of
Harassment in the Workplace which was released on 18 March
2022.
Over the last year the department has extended 26 collective
agreements to non-parties. This is critical in fighting
persistent poverty and inequality experienced by so many
working people. The National Minimum Wage Act was assented to
in 2018, setting a historic precedent in the protection of
low-earning vulnerable workers in South Africa and provided a
platform for reducing inequality and the huge disparities in
income. The 6,9% adjustment of the National Minimum Wage
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increased rates from R21,69 to R23,19 per hour, effective from
1 March 1 2022 applicable to all sectors. This increase will
benefit about 892 000 domestic workers who are overwhelmingly
women, and 800 000 farmworkers. Contrary to the opposition’s
belief, the research findings indicate that there is no major
negative impact on employment as a result of the National
Minimum Wage. This is international research.
The department’s public employment services branch which
drives the implementation of the labour market policies
including the provision of free career counselling, job
placing, retraining and up-skilling, strives to create an
enabling environment for employment growth.
At an operational level the Department of Employment and
Labour continues to provide support to many desperate work
seekers. For the period April 2021 to 28 February 2022, 59 000
unemployed work seekers were placed in employment
opportunities. It is important that this service is utilised
across the economy and across the public sector. The
department also actively participates in the digital Pathway
Network Management system, which as at January 2022, offered
674 000 job opportunities. Over the two phases of the
Presidential Youth Employment Stimulus, 596 000 appointments
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of school assistants have been made — the single largest youth
employment programme in the country, supporting the aims of
the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention.
The Department will also extend UIF LAP training projects
aimed at creating jobs, particularly for the youth, in the
fibre optics, food handling and mixed farming sectors. We will
also establish 10 specialised youth centres over the coming
two years in addition to our 126 labour centres. Part-time
centres, mobile centres and the departmental buses – expand
the physical reach of employment services to more remote
areas. During 2021 a total of 991 workers with disabilities
and 48 administrative staff were subsidised. A total of
R20,9 million was paid to these workers as at the end of
quarter four of 2021 to support this employment programme.
The Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration
section 189 processes for the period 01 April 2021 to 31
December 2021 resulted in 44% of jobs being saved and 14 000
jobs of those employees threatened with retrenchment. The
Employment Equity Amendment Bill is intended to expedite the
pace of transformation in the labour market and ensure that
those non-compliant organisations that resist transformation
do not continue to financially benefit from state contracts or
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doing business with the state. The Employment Equity Amendment
Bill and the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and
Diseases Amendment Bill have been adopted in the National
Assembly, and I look forward to the members of the NCOP
applying their minds to the two Bills. Other pieces of
legislation for legislators’ consideration are the
Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Bill and the
Employment Services Amendment Bill. The draft National Labour
Migration Policy has been released for comment and now it is
closed. In addition, the department is conducting a national
roadshow to engage stakeholders. We have received more than
4 000 submissions.
The policy seeks to balance the constitutional rights of all
to labour protections, the expectations of South Africans to
access work, our international obligations and treaties, and
the needs of the economy for scarce skills. The department has
also led the process of developing the South African National
Employment Policy, in collaboration with the International
Labour Organisation and leading local experts. Following a
rigorous situational analysis, the first draft of the policy
has been completed for consultation with social partners.
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Finally, let me thank the Deputy Minister, the staff of the
department, and the commissioners and executives of entities –
led by the DG for their commitment and hard work in achieving
targets and continuing to provide services in very difficult
conditions. Hon Chairperson, I hereby table the budget of the
Department of Employment and Labour for 2022-23 — an amount
just short of R4 billion. I thank you.
Mr M I RAYI: Thank you very much, hon Chairperson. Greetings
to you. Greetings to the Deputy Chairperson of the National
Council of Provinces, Minister and Deputy Minister of
Employment and Labour, House Chairpersons, Chief Whips, MECs,
permanent and special delegates, fellow South Africans, let me
start by indicating to the Minister that the NCOP has already
adopted the Employment Equity and Compensation for
Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, Coida. Employment
Equity is on its way to the President and Coida is back to the
NA portfolio committee.
Hon Chairperson, we are meeting to consider Vote 31,
Employment and Labour on the eve of our National Youth Day
when we will be commemorating the 46th Anniversary of June 16
1976. This still remains a peaceful memory in the minds of the
majority of South Africans. It causes pain mainly because
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while we have made progresses since the dawn of democracy in
terms of addressing the grievances of the youth who fought
against apartheid. There are new challenges facing young
people particularly working class youth in townships and rural
areas such as unemployment, substance abuse and poverty. We
still have a long way to go to address these challenges as a
nation.
Political events in the recent past have the potential to
defocus government and our country away from the most
important objective of building an inclusive and growing
economy that create jobs and raises revenues to funds social
protection programmes. The economic heatwaves facing our
country and the whole world such as rising prices of energy,
food and essential goods are the most important challenges we
need to face together and overcome as South Africans.
Last month, our government led by the Department of Employment
and Labour successfully co-hosted the International Labour
Organisation, the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of
Child Labour. The debate on child labour takes later
significance in the context of Youth Day. We know that there
are political parties that do not support the strict
regulation of the work place and without knowing of
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exploitation of children as labourers. They do so on behalf of
their funders particularly agri-business and other sectors
where child labour is used extensively.
The government has put in place programmes to ensure that the
young workers and entrepreneurs absorbed into the labour
market and involve in the productive sector of the economy. In
March, the Employing Tax Incentive was expanded to make it
easier for employers to hire more young employees.
As part of the government drive to create a new generation of
black industrialist create jobs and transform the economy.
Last data approves R2,5 billion in a new support for about 180
black industrialists in the form of loans and grants.
Over the next three years a further R21 billion has been
committed to support black industrialists. An additional
R25 billion to support black women, youth and worker-owned
companies.
In spite of these efforts, we must acknowledge that in the
first quarter of 2021, the country’s unemployment rate reaches
a high of 35,3%. This was up from a previous record of 34,9%
in the third quarter of 2021.
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It is also worth noting that the nemployment increased by
540 000 during the same period owing to a seasonal boost in
demand for labour. The labour force survey for the first
quarter of 2022 shows that South Africa official unemployment
rate decrease in the first quarter of 2022 marking the first
easy since the third quarter of 2020.
Until now, our country’s unemployment heat record high for six
consecutive quarters. The 370 000 jobs were gained between the
fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022. The
biggest job gains were recorded in community and social
services, manufacturing and trade. This positive gains must be
sustained. We must also consider how we respond to and deal
with the unpleasant circumstances created by Covid-19 epidemic
as well as a necessary hash lockdown which resulted in the
loss of approximately 2 million jobs.
As a result of the most important task undertaken by the
democratic state in 2020 was to present the Economic
Reconstruction and Recovery Plan as a direct response to this
massive challenge.
Over the medium term, the department is anticipated to spend
approximately R11,7 billion in order to realise government
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policy priorities. In this context, in the light of the
economic challenges impact of Covid-19 and strained national
fiscus, co-ordination and collaborative efforts across
government would offer positive societal yields.
Greater focus will be more on cognition and integrating the
roles around policies that relate to innovation, technology,
industry trade, development finance and regulating markets and
including skills development. The aim is to attain government
policy agenda to tackle grand socioeconomic challenges.
It is clear that development partnership will need to be
formed across government and improve business and government
relation. This will need better engagement by social partners
to improve labour market conditions. The energy that we have
seen in addressing the Covid-19 should be multiplied.
On supported employment entities: It is a concern that the
supported employment enterprises entity is experiencing
financial stability challenges. The entity can potentially
play a much more significant role if it receives increase
support from government and SOEs in terms of procurement of
its production such as furniture which is of really good
quality.
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In the period ahead, the department made the commitment to
repurpose and leave the organasational health and capacity
including financial sustainability of the supported employment
enterprises. The supported employment enterprises form an
integral part of the Department of Labour and labour spending
related to the labour market programmes tackling social and
economic risks faced by persons with physical disabilities.
We have emphasised, hon Chairperson, that over the medium term
a department working closely with National Treasury in
partnership with the Department of Trade, Industry and
Competition should work on a mechanism that will ensure
business operation of supported employment enterprises are
sustainable.
Furthermore, hon Chair, we emphasise that both the department
and National Treasury should explore apart from the spending
transfers, alternative funding and financing sources to
support growth and expansion of the supported employment
enterprises.
On labour disputes: We are glad that the strike at Sibanye-
Stillwater has finally come to an end after three months of
workers and employers being at loggerheads with each other.
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From this week gold operation in Johannesburg and Free State
are resuming operation after the signing of a three-year wage
deal which has broad the protracted but peaceful strike to an
end.
The operational startup of the mines will now be conducted by
phase manner over the two to three months to ensure the safe
resumption of production. The question we must ask is: Did it
have to take a whole three months to resolve the dispute? It
has been reported that a gains of a wage demand of R1 000
increase per year. The final wage deal C category four to
eight employees receive an increase of R1 000 in year one,
R900 in year two and R750 in year three, minus artisans and
official will receive an average increase of 5% in years one
and three and 5,5% in year two. This seems to be a reasonable
agreement that could have been reached without such a
protracted strike.
If the chief executive officer with mining executive and
shareholders of Sibanye-Stillwater who are raking in hundreds
millions of rends each in the form of remuneration and shares
had some Ubuntu value in them the losses in incomes suffered
by workers could have been averted.
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We also need to learn from the social democratic countries in
the Europe such as Finland and Sweden where there is a mature
culture of social compacting and wage negotiations are more
transparent and compromises are made with the aim being to
meet the needs of both employers and workers. The National
Economic Development and Labour Council, Nedlac, is a key
institution where discussions are taking place between
government and social partners where difficult issues that
have wide range implication for our economy are being
discussed.
We call on the parties to this discussion to build a new
consensus that pairs economic reform with measures to support
employment and expand social production. The social compact
should be substantial and meaningful and make a real and
lasting difference to the trajectory of our economy.
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration,
CCMA, has been very helpful to employers and organised workers
in terms of settling labour disputes. Increasing spending with
regard to CCMA is highly recognised. This spending will enable
the CCMA to meet its legislation and policy commitment.
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The current economic conditions need more stable industrial
relations. We cannot afford a single day stoppage of economic
activity. At a very same breath and attitude the cost of
living standard of ordinary workers should be prioritised.
The call for a fera economy and just economy is a noble call
for economic justice.
On Compensation Fund: The department must continue maintaining
oversight over Compensation Fund. One will commend the
progress made in the turnaround. The entity mostly need to be
done to improve the audit outcomes of the entity. Public funds
must be fully accounted for and services must be more
accessible to workers and medical providers with less
involvement of middle man who are supported by parties like
the DA.
Hon Chairperson, I believe the spending plans of the
Department of Employment and Labour and government in general
alive and aligned to the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery
Plan as complemented by the reimagine industrial strategy. The
government is committed to implement combination of
explainable measures to live economic growth and to improve
the resilience of the economy by ensuring up productivity and
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job creation enhancing the strength of social protection
system to combat extreme poverty.
This has been articulated by the President here in Parliament
and in many global and domestic events and emphasising the
need to helping people invest in productive assets and to
ensuring that public and private investment be directed to
productive assets, including supporting workers and society in
general to smoothly transition to the new economy shape by
technological advancement and sustainable investment. The
focus is on improve economy and sustainable jobs.
The African Continental Free Trade Areas present trade,
investment and employment opportunities. We expect the
department to grab the opportunities afforded by the African
Continental Free Trade Agreement. We have emphasised before
that the Intra-African Trade Expansion encouraged by
appropriate investment and infrastructure and the removal of
barriers to trade and investment will help us as a country to
meet our developmental policy priorities and also reposition
Africa as a serious global economic player. The employment and
labour migration policies should also respond appropriately to
the spirit of African integrated regional economic demands and
opportunities.
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In conclusion, hon Chairperson, the department must define its
employment mandate and the role it plays in this regard.
Lastly, just to echo the words of the President last week:
What South African people want above on earth is their quality
of life improve. They do not care for political squabbles
rivalist, plots and intric. They want better basic services.
They want jobs and opportunities to better themselves. Thank
you very much, hon Chair.
Mr M MVOKO (Eastern Cape): Hon Chairperson, greetings to the
Minister of Employment and Labour, the hon Thulas Nxesi,
Deputy Minister, hon members of this august House, ladies and
gentlemen, good afternoon. Hon Chairperson, it is my singular
honour to be part of this debate, and on behalf of the Eastern
Cape, I wish to welcome and declare our support of the Budget
Vote for the Department of Employment and Labour as delivered
by Minster Nxesi.
In his speech, the Minister admitted, rightly so, that the
country is at the dawn of recovery after having been battered
by the advent of corona virus pandemic, climate change effects
and other global economic shocks.
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These factors have exerted serve damage in the already
struggling economy.
Through these, many businesses have faced closure and an
increasing number of businesses have experienced revenue
losses, which in turn has caused thousands of job losses.
Throughout these shocks, the Eastern Cape, just like other
provinces, was not spared.
During the COVID-19 pandemic for instance, approximately 648
Eastern Cape businesses explored retrenchment processes, with
13 595 job losses.
Though still under severe constraint, we are encouraged by the
recent Statistics SA provincial economic indicators.
Statistics SA last week reported that the country’s economic
trajectory has equalled preCOVID-19 levels, with 1,9% gross
domestic product, GDP, growth in Quarter 1 of 2022. This shows
that our recovery efforts and the re-opening of economic
activities posthard lockdowns are yielding desired results.
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Hon members, the Eastern Cape has also been a beneficiary to a
number of programmes and interventions that have been provided
by the Department of Employment and Labour.
As such, there are 9 078 occupational health and safety
inspections that were conducted in the province in 2021-22,
and this is thanks to the 500 additional Occupational Health
and Safety, OHS, Inspectors employed in 2020 by the Department
of Employment and Labour as was presented by the hon Minister
Nxesi in his Budget Vote.
The Eastern Cape province has 49 additional Occupational
Health and Safety Inspectors, an 82% increase from the
previous number of 12 OHS Inspectors that previously covered
the province. The current number of OHS Inspectors for Eastern
Cape stands at 61 and the spread across the province has
improved the response time on complaints unlike before when
the OHS Inspectors were only located in in big labour centres.
With respect to the Compensation Fund’s Vocational Rehabilitati
on Programme in the Eastern Cape province, we have seen 11
persons with disabilities who are Compensation Fund pensioners
getting enrolled at Fort Cox Agricultural College where they
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received training in piggery, poultry, crop and animal
production over a four months period. They completed their tra
ining and graduated on 14 April 2022.
The Unemployment Insurance Fund, UIF, continues to pay the
Temporary Employer Employee Relief Scheme, Ters, and as at 30
April 2022, about R3,2 billion was paid to 13 858 employers and
257 316 employees in our province.
We are pleased that the department in the Eastern Cape has
paid 100% of invoices received within 30 days in the 2021-2022
financial year. Our reports show that 1 851 invoices were
received and 1 851 were paid with a monetary value of
R22,1 million. This has a positive impact on the operation of
Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises businesses and their cash
flow projections.
We are also pleased that the Department of Employment and
Labour continues to strengthen the economy of the province
through its infrastructure development, in collaboration with
the province’s Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
In this regard, two labour centres are due for official
opening in Mthatha and Butterworth. A Youth Employment Centre
in Mdantsane is also due for official launch, a feat that will
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assist to drive the employment of youthin one of the biggest
townships in the country.
We also welcome the development of the National Labour
Migration Policy as pronounced by the Minister. Our niche in
the work that is currently underway is in the Road Freight and
Logistics Industry, which MEC Tikana-Gxothiwe is the co-
convener of the task team as appointed by premier Oscar
Mabuyane.
Once again, I wish to welcome and relay our support to the
Budget Vote of the Department of Employment and Labour. Thank
you very much, hon Chairperson.
Ms H S BOSHOFF: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, W E B Du Bois,
one of the foremost intellectuals of his era and
Pan-Africanist civil rights activist quoted in the late 1890’s
that:
We should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the
number of millionaires, but by the absence of poverty,
the prevalence of health, the efficiency of the public
school sector, and the number of people who can and do
read worthwhile books.
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The ANC cannot deny that what Du Bois stated is correct, and
due to not being able to provide the majority of our citizens
any form of prosperity, they are currently living the
impoverished life. The unemployment rate in South Africa
remains undeniably high, there are many factors contributing
to the unemployment, of which the lack of education and
training remains the root cause of unemployment leading to the
labour supply and demand mismatch, as the number of jobs
available simply do not accommodate those who wish to enter
the labour market.
Another factor is the lack of interest and support for
entrepreneurs. The biggest stumbling block is government
legislation which is complicated, time consuming and costly,
making it close to impossible for the average South African to
start a business.
Even though we saw a decrease in the unemployment rate by
0,8%, to 34,5%, this does by no means, mean that South Africa
is on the right trajectory.
We saw huge job gains in community and social services with
281 000 jobs, manufacturing with 263 000 jobs and trade with
98 000 jobs.
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However, this does not paint a rosy picture, as there were job
losses in private households of 186 000, finance, 72 000,
construction, 60 000 and agriculture, 23 000.
The most disadvantaged are the youth in South Africa with an
unemployment rate higher than the national average. According
to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of
2022, the unemployment rate was 63,9% for those aged 15-24 and
42,1% for those aged 25-34, whilst the current official
national rate stands at 34,5%.
We see the graduate unemployment rate remaining relatively low
in comparison with those of other educational levels, but
unfortunately unemployment among the youth continues to be a
burden, irrespective of educational attainment. Year-on-year,
the unemployment rate among young graduates, aged 15-24 years
declined from 40,3% to 32,6%, while it increased by 6,9
percentage points to 22,4% for those aged 25-34 years in
quarter 1 of 2022.
With over 10 million young people aged 15-24 years – “oh bless
you House Chair” - of these, only 2,5 million were in the
labour force. The largest share - 7,7 million or 75,1 % of
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this, are those that are out of the labour force, that is they
are completely inactive.
Why Minister, would this be? It is because they are immensely
discouraged as they have lost hope of finding a job that suits
their skills. Another reason is that in the area they reside
there are no jobs - 37% of the youth are regarded as youth not
in employment, education or training.
This month is Youth Month and we will be seeing celebrations
taking place all over the country under the theme of “The Year
of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing youth employment for an
inclusive and transformed society”, focusing on various youth
development and empowerment initiatives to support young
people. Once again government is full of talk on how they will
address this enormous injustice of the youth, but the action
will not be there.
Even though a decline was recorded, the unemployment rate
according to the expanded definition of unemployment remains
high at 45,5% if one takes into consideration those who have
given up looking for a job.
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Unfortunately, hon Minister, the decline will be short lived
as we will shortly see a huge increase in the unemployment
rate should the President enact the newly passed Employment
Equity Amendment Bill.
My colleague, Dr Michael Cardo who serves in the National
Assembly, has written to the President, urging him not to sign
the job-destroying Employment Equity Amendment Bill into law.
The National Council of Provinces passed the Bill on 17 May
2022, several months after it was given the green light by the
National Assembly, despite the ANC’s initial embarrassing
failure to muster a quorum.
This Bill is nothing short of destructive and will only worsen
South Africa’s economic situation. It is not only the DA that
maintains the Bill is pernicious and unconstitutional, but so
too are the majority of South Africans who are of the opinion
that this Bill is unconstitutional, and that Labour Courts,
High Courts and Constitutional Courts must be placed on alert,
in order for them to be ready to attend to the many disputes
which will emanate from the enactment by the President. The
International Race Relations has already indicated that,
should it be enacted, they will contest its legality in court.
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Why Minister, has your department not engaged with the
International Race Relations, IRR, as requested in a letter
sent to you to which you promised that a response would be
forthcoming, but as usual nothing was received! They are
offering you “respected legal and economic analysis for free”.
So too has the DA presented a Private Members Bill on cutting
red tape and on the ease of doing business which would see
Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises, SMME growing and
assisting in reducing the unemployment figure.
This amendment Bill will do nothing but empower you Minister
to set numerical sectoral employment equity targets for any
national economic sector after a somewhat vague defined
process of consultation with relevant sectors. These targets
will be backed by fines for non-compliance. This Bill is
nothing more than, another form of racial intervention.
The Bill will have a devastating effect on investment and job
creation without any actual transformation taking place in the
workspace. South Africa will see how economic growth will be
undermined and unemployment sky rocketing.
This Bill will instil more crony-capitalism, benefitting
ANC-cadres only and further demoralizing the unemployed.
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Minister over the past six months, New World Immigration has
experienced a 50% increase in inquiries from South Africans
wanting to move abroad. It seems the ongoing issues relating
to state infrastructure is the main reason why people are
looking to move. Load shedding, unemployment, corrupt
government Officials and crime are cited reasons as well. More
and more professionals are really struggling to secure good
careers and income opportunities to live a better life in
South Africa.
What is worrying is that more and more farmers are also
enquiring about migration. This does not bode well for this
country as this will bring about more poverty, less jobs and
no food security.
Hon Minister, we need to see you and your government bringing
about tangible change in presenting the unemployed and
potential emigrants with a workable plan of action giving them
the assurance that South Africa is the country of the future
and less legislation that is causing irrevocable damage to the
economy and unemployment.
You and your government need to swallow your pride and join
forces with other stakeholders and organizations to seek ways
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to tackle the ever-growing unemployment rate. I thank you,
House Chair.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT: Thank you so
much, hon Chairperson, Ntate Amos Masondo and Deputy
Chairperson of the NCOP, Mme Sylvia Lucas, hon members of the
NCOP, hon Minister of Employment and Labour, my Minister Ntate
Thulas Nxesi and all Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers
who might be present in this platform, hon Saiso Mohai the
NCOP Chief whip and hon Chairperson of the Select Committee
Ntate Rayi and members of the Select Committee and all hon
MECs present, ladies and gentlemen, I greet you all. Hon
Chairperson we meet here under the theme: Facilitating jobs,
social protection and decent work. We are very clear and
unambiguous about this and South Africans will always remember
us for being on the side of the masses.
Hon Chairperson and hon members, allow me with reference to
the input of the Minister, to put in a few points into
perspective for the purpose of this debate. The Minister has
already indicated that the Budget Vote 31 for Employment and
Labour that we are debating today is of the department that is
receiving unqualified audit outcomes consistently. I need to
ever emphasise that, hon members. It is extremely important
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for us to continue over emphasise this point, because we are
living in challenging times where the little that we have gets
consumed by a series of disasters - some natural others man-
made or person-made. Hon Chairperson, and these disasters
drain the limited fund allocated to the departments and so it
is judicious that all government departments spend the public
purse sensibly and prudently.
This Budget Vote is tabled against the highly cost contained
restrictions due to the very low revenue base as a result of
our battling economy. Just some reminder, hon members, that
opposing this Budget Vote is equal to opposing service
delivery at the doorsteps of the people - you only remember
when you seek their votes. Opposing this budget, hon members,
is the highest form of betrayal of the people, a disdain of
the mass line and a clear disregard for those who rely on
state interventions such as this Budget Vote to better their
lives.
Chairperson, we are one of the department that has a very firm
national footprint. We have 126 Labour Centers which remain
our infrastructure and then a number of satellite offices. We
also mobile buses that bring employment and labour services at
the doorstep of our communities. Hon members, we will be
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shifting our focus to talking less as the department and
rather showcase and demonstrating our achievements by doing
what is right and what our people want and need. We will leave
those who speak but do nothing for our people to continue
talking. We will parade our achievements, the payments of
claims, registration of work seekers and the jobs that we have
created through these interventions for everyone to start
appreciating our “one plan approach” and the collaborative
efforts with other departments, the districts and the local
municipalities in the delivery of services to our people. And
this hon members, will give a clear distinction between those
who are grandstanding for votes and those who seek proximity
to our people by doing nothing at all - from those who do the
hard work but never seek for praise singing.
Hon Chairperson, it is common knowledge that South Africa has
a very stubborn unemployment. This high unemployment rate is
stubborn because it is deep seated and it is deep seated
because it is historical. The higher unemployment rate did not
come with the ANC, it was designed to prevent and meticulously
implemented by the erstwhile racist white minority government.
It is this structural unemployment that is linked to a system
that was well designed to disempower the majority in this
country who remain the disenfranchised.
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Hon Chairperson and hon members, we are leaving no one behind
in this case. Our labour activation programme which is
administered by the Unemployment Insurance Fund, UIF, has set
aside R551 million for these three projects for 19 921
beneficiaries – of which 70% are former UIF contributors who
lost their jobs to undergo training in the following skills:
14 771 beneficiaries as chief food handlers; 5 000
beneficiaries in enterprise development which also talks to
mixed economy; and 150 beneficiaries as Fibre Optic
Technicians.
Hon Chairperson and hon members, the much talked about
national labour migration policy is currently undergoing
public consultations soon to be finalised. The Minister has
expanded sufficiently, in this regard. But by this national
labour migration policy, we are manufacturing a tool that a
country must able to use in dealing with the domestic labour
markets in the light that South Africans finds themselves
having to compete with foreign nationals on accessing jobs. We
also have very mischievous employers that neglect South
African work seekers and close to 100% employees coming from
outside of South Africa and government’s intervention to this
matter should be the one that is co-ordinated, comprehensive
and sustainable, but also ensuring harmony and stability as
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well as a win-win situation - and that’s what the national
migration policy is all about in a nutshell, hon Chairperson.
Hon Chairperson, with regards to Employment Equity Amendment
Bill, I heard hon Boshoff talking about that. The people that
elected us want change, we just cannot afford to sit on our
laurels, nibble around the edges and allow the status quo
prevail. It is a fact, that employers were given more than
enough time and the opportunity to regulate themselves. We
literally left this important task to the employers for years
and they are not coming to the party. We gave them a blank
cheque of just ensuring that there is equity in employment and
to demonstrate to us that the designated groups are not left
behind.
We are now amending the Employment Equity Act, to empower the
Minister of Employment and Labour to regulate sector specific
Employment Equity targets. This is going to happen immediately
after consultation with the sector stakeholders and on the
advice of the Commission for Employment Equity.
We aim to reduce regulatory burden on small employers
employing between the ranges 0 - 49 or to 50 employees. I want
to emphasise that the employment equity compliance certificate
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is critical in ensuring that financial benefits from the state
only accrue to organisations that are committed and willing to
contribute to the transformation agenda of this country. I
must say also to hon Boshoff who spoke earlier that the state
cannot continue to financially benefit organisations and
employers that are antitransformation and those who resist
compliance with the laws of the country. The status quo must
be disrupted and we must act decisively against those who
undermine our transformation agenda.
In this regard, these small employers would be exempted from
complying with Employment Equity administrative processes of
conducting analysis of their workplaces, preparing Employment
Equity Plans, complying with sector Employment Equity targets
or submitting an Employment Equity Report. And as a result,
ladies and gentlemen, hon members, hon Chairperson, this
creates a conducive environment for investment and for small
businesses to grow and create jobs.
Furthermore, the amendments are intended to promulgate Section
53 of this Employment Equity Act, which deals with the issuing
of EE compliance certificate as a prerequisite for access to
state contracts or to conduct business with any organ of
state.
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We are delighted, hon members, that this House has passed the
Employment Equity Amendment Bill which is now with the
President for assent. With regards to COIDA Amendment Bill,
Chairperson, in this Financial Year 2021/22 we also brought to
Parliament, amendments to the Compensation for Occupational
Injuries and Diseases Act, COIDA. Again, this House has
sufficiently processed that Bill which among others important
aspects of it is to ensure that the domestic workers are also
recognised as workers as they are and the must be
beneficiaries of that accrued to all other employees.
In conclusion, hon Chairperson, allow me to take this
opportunity to thank our Minister, Ntate Thulas Nxesi, our
Director-General, Mr Thobile Lamathi and the entire staff of
the department for demonstrating the commitment and support in
the facilitation of jobs, social protection and decent work.
We call on all the parties that are here in this NCOP to
support this Budget Vote 31 of Employment and Labour and not
doing so, hon members, know that you are voting against jobs
preservation, jobs creation and means to reducing the high
unemployment rate. I want to take this opportunity, hon
Chairperson, to thank you for your audience. Thank you.
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Mr T APLENI: Thank you very much, Chairperson of the House,
you will forgive me for the video. I am in the farms at
Middelburg in Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality. The network
is not stable. Chairperson, the EFF rejects the proposed
budget for the Department of Employment and Labour. We reject
the budget of a department which is known more for its
failures than anything else, as it has on numerous occasions
failed to execute its constitutional mandate.
Today, South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates
in the world. Many of the unemployed are youth or young people
who have given up looking for work and have had to resort to
sitting at home, becoming more unemployable, resorting to
crime and substance abuse. There currently exists more than
11 million people in our country today who are willing,
capable, and ready to work, some are even tired of looking and
have given up. The streets of eZiphunzane, Duncan Village in
Mdantsane, King William’s Town, Zwelitsha in the Eastern cape
are all filled with black youth roaming the streets with no
purpose.
The condition of our youth across all provinces is very
worrying and sends a message that it would take many years for
our country to recover from our current situation. We are
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losing young people to hopelessness because of the lack of
industrial development in South Africa. The youth of our
country have been left to drown in depression and the
graduates of South Africa are on the streets begging for jobs.
One cannot help but ask what difference is this budget going
to change now, as after 28 years into democracy, millions and
billions of rands have been spent on this department with no
results at all.
Year in and year out, Statistics SA draws a very scary picture
of exceedingly government failure to create jobs for South
Africans. The unemployment situation in South Africa remains a
nightmare, all at the backdrop of a fragile economy that has
been battered by COVID-19 and the ruling party’s failures to
address its fractional issues. Chairperson, what remains
evident is that the crisis of unemployment in South Africa is
a direct result of the lack of political will from those in
power.
The industrial zones which were announced here have turned
white elephants. The Compensation Fund continues to fail
despite multiple turnaround strategies. Money is stolen,
payments are made without a paper trail, and no one is held
accountable, especially the commissioner. This department
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needs leadership change than what it is asking us to do here
today.
For what is required is a leadership which will advocate for
the nationalization of strategic sectors of the economy,
building state and capacity, delivery of free quality
education, health, houses and sanitation; and massive
protected industrial development to create millions of
sustainable jobs.
A leadership which will pass legislation that will ensure that
all government departments and all public institutions employ
a minimum of 40% of people between the ages of 18 and 35. We
need to pass legislation that will ensure that all government
departments and all public institutions spend 50% of their
procurement budget on youth-owned businesses. We need to
ensure that all private corporations employ a minimum of 35%
of people between the ages of 18 and 35. We need to ensure
that a minimum of 40% of budget allocation to government
departments in all spheres of government is specifically set
aside for youth empowerment and upliftment.
We need to invest in our youth and this should begin at ground
level. We need to rescue the National Youth Development Agency
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from partisan management and cronyism that channels funding
that is supposed to develop youth projects to the pockets of
those affiliated with the ruling party. We need regional and
continental economic integration in a manner that will
qualitatively and quantitatively expand economic activities
and intra-trade in South Africa, the Southern African
Development Community, SADC region and the African continent.
In this way, South Africans will be able to explore employment
opportunities in the continent and develop mutually beneficial
economic relations. All of the above are necessary changes to
bring in place so that we may have a positive employment
impact in the long term. All the above require a capable
leadership which cannot and will never be found in the ANC. We
therefore reject this budget as the EFF, Chairperson. Thank
you very much.
Ms D M BAARTMAN (Western Cape): Hon Chairperson, fellow South
Africans, the Western Cape has the lowest expanded
unemployment rate in the country at 29%, which is a decrease
of 1,4 percentage points, compared to a 45,5% rate nationally;
according to the quarterly labour force survey for the first
quarter of 2020 released by Stats SA at the end of May.
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South Africa’s inflation reached 5,9% year on year in April
... [Inaudible.] ... upper edge on the SA Reserve Bank’s,
SARB, inflation target.
With the fuel price hike putting even more pressure on
consumers, jobs are a lifeline.
Nationally, we have an underfunded Commission for
Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, CCMA, Unemployment
Insurance Fund, UIF, that does not get paid out on time, if it
gets paid at all. And now we have an Employment Equity Bill
that will not achieve the outcomes it seeks to address. A
Bill, which will negatively impact on future investments as
well as jobs.
Today, I would like to focus on the non-pay out of COVID-19
Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme, TERS, funding which
plagued our province.
Last year, due to its severe impact on our province, the
Standing Committee on Finance, Economic Opportunities and
Tourism launched public hearings on the impact of the non-pay
out of COVID-19 Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme
funding process undertaken by the Unemployment Insurance Fund
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on the Western Cape province in terms of section 28(3) of our
provincial Constitution.
On 26 March 2020 Mr Nxesi issued a directive in the Government
Gazette initiating the COVID-19 TERS funding. The COVID-19
TERS funding administered, was created to assist employees who
had lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the
regulations which limited economic activity during the various
levels of lockdown.
On 3 February 2021 the provincial committee resolved to
request that the UIF brief the committee on the challenges
relating to this TERS funding within the Western Cape.
The UIF briefed the committee on 12 May 2021 and the committee
unanimously resolved to conduct public participation process
to gauge the public’s perception on the COVID-19 TERS funding
process.
We advertised the public participation in our mainstream and
community newspapers in our official languages of the
province, we had a social media campaign to vend up for the
public participation process, which included an infographic on
platform such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp.
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We utilized additional means of capturing submissions by a
questionnaire that was linked to the provincial Parliament’s
website. Submissions could be submitted by email,
questionnaire, WhatsApp messages and voice notes.
Two separate documents were created to capture the TERS-
related claims and non-TERS-related but UIF-related claims
such as unemployment benefits, maternity benefits,
retrenchment and so on. And we blacked out personal details on
documents for compliance of Protection of Personal
Information, POPI.
The period for submission for comments ran from 12 June until
12 July 2021.
Communication was sent to all speakers, municipal managers and
mayors of our municipalities in the Western Cape requesting
participation in the process and assistance in spreading the
information to employers and employees within their reach. And
provincial parliament’s public education outreach unit
assisted the committee by forwarding the information and
request for participation to its stakeholders as well as the
community development network.
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We also worked with the parliamentary monitoring group to
assist the committee with spreading awareness about the public
participation process by forwarding the information via their
call for comments function, which reached almost 3 300
recipients.
When the COVID-19 TERS submission period concluded, at close
of business on 12 July 2021, the committee received 70
submissions on COVID-19 TERS process. Some of these for
individuals and some were each in submission dealt with
multiple persons being represented. Of these, 44 were received
by WhatsApp and voice notes, 16 by email and 10 by the
questionnaire.
But the majority of the submissions dealt with the employers
applying for TERS on behalf of the employee or employees but
funds have not been received. Employees enquiring whether
their employer had applied for TERS on their behalf. TERS
applications indicating that the process is still pending or
that there was an error. And that the TERS application system
was always down, non-functional or there was no reply from the
UIF and that the Call Centre phones just kept ringing.
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It is easy to claim, Chairperson, that there will now be
forensic auditing for fraud cases. But the reality remains,
effective systems were not in place even before the pandemic
in order to prevent such fraud from occurring in the first
place.
Chairperson, if we need transformation then we need to start
our transformation at Phala Phala.
Further, in addition to the TERS submissions received we also
received 30 non-TERS-related submissions related to
unemployment benefit claims and seven submissions relating to
maternity claims, which we referred to the UIF.
To date, only 60% of submissions received had been responded
to by the UIF. The committee responded that the UIF respond to
the remaining claimants and submit a report updating the
committee on its progress by 25 August 2021.
To date, no progress report had been received from the UIF on
unresolved matter. And since the start of this process on 12
June it is already more than one year later with no response
to some of those claimants.
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In this regard, it is critical that the NCOP takes up the
matter of the challenges identified through the TERS public
participation process such as proper engagement with employer
associations and the private sector, Information Technology,
IT, system and administrative failures, the lack of a
compliance from employers in respect of UIF-related matters,
the lack of monitoring and evaluation capacity and the lack of
security and enforcement capacity within the UIF and the
Department of Employment and Labour.
While our Department of Economic Development and Tourism as
well as the provincial Parliament tends to assist as many
claimants as possible, this is a mandate that should be
fulfilled by the national department.
The report recommended unannounced oversight visits to labour
offices, that SARS, a series of various government departments
including the UIF and the Department of Employment and Labour
to automate their systems and data as they have done with the
Department of Trade, Industry and Competition through websites
such as sibs.
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This 81-page report of our committee which was unanimously
adopted within the Western Cape was then Announcements,
Tablings and Committee Reports, ATCd, on 14 February 2022.
We hope that the Department of Employment and Labour will take
the plight of the people in the Western Cape seriously.
Because at the current rate, I fear this department will have
to rename itself to the Department of Unemployment and
Leisure. Chairperson, I thank you.
Mr M DANGOR: Thank you very much, hon House Chairperson.
Chairperson; Deputy Chairperson; Minister; Deputy Minister;
all members of the executive council, MECs, present; all
members present and all special delegates present, 16 June
reminds us that we achieved freedom through struggle,
determination and great sacrifice by millions of our people.
It is our resilience against oppressive, colonial and
apartheid government policies such as pass laws that were
designed to segregate and dehumanise the majority of the South
African population.
The Constitution and transformative policies that were
initiated by the ANC government have undeniably created a
better living and working condition for the working class of
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our country. The Bill of Rights makes provisions under section
23 for the right to fair labour practices, unionisation and
collective bargaining amongst other rights. Much has been done
to rectify injustices of the past through various policy
interventions, particularly as it relates to employment and
labour. However, the economic crisis that has been further
exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing
fuel and food prices has left many households in a vulnerable
condition. Evidence shows that we have a serious challenge of
unemployment in the country and the youth and women bear the
brunt of it ... [Interjections.] ... is there a problem?
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms S E Lucas): Mute, House
Chairperson, mute.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Sorry, hon Dangor, you
can continue.
Mr M DANGOR: The government through its Economic
Reconstruction and Recovery Plan is clear that the nature of
this crisis requires immediate intervention in the form of
more direct investment in employment creation through public
employment programmes and related measures that are able to
create a large number of jobs in the shorter term. We welcome
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the R100 billion earmarked for job creation and retention
which is part of the employment stimulus, based primarily on
direct public investment in employment to counteract
anticipated job losses.
The stimulus will enable the generation and creation of over a
million jobs in the medium-term. A provisional allocation of
R19,6 billion was made in the special adjustment budget for
this purpose. Our economic reconstruction and recovery plan,
lays a firm foundation for recovery and creating a stronger
and more resilient economy. There are positive signs of
recovery that include: Firstly, low but positive growth rate
of 1,9% in the first quarter of 2022; secondly, a drop in the
number of unemployed people in the first quarter of this year,
this translates to 370 000 jobs created; and lastly, there is
consistent recovery across most of the major sectors of the
economy such as manufacturing, trade, utilities, finance,
personal services, mining and agriculture.
The current period calls for all hands on deck. We are going
through a critical stage of building a South African state
that is capable of giving hope to our people that the economy
is becoming more inclusive. Our only hope as a nation is that
we need to come together collectively between ourselves or
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maybe we need a social compact in this Parliament to ensure
that we put our messages to investors, not negative messages
to chase them away. This is what the President calls a social
compact. We need these social compacts not just at national
level, but in provinces and municipalities as well.
We are encouraged by the mass employment and skills
development initiatives that we have seen through the
presidential youth stimulus. We welcome the opportunities that
have been provided through this stimulus programme. Many of
its beneficiaries have been placed across many sectors such as
the Department of Education, Department of Home Affairs and
the SA Police Service force amongst others ...
[Interjections.] ... Sorry about that. My apologies. The
social employment fund will also gear to create 50 000 new
work opportunities while the revitalised national youth
service will create a further 50 000 jobs for unemployed young
people performing acts of service across the country.
Over the medium-term, we note that Department of Employment
and Labour has committed to focusing on providing support to
work seekers, increasing safety and fairness in the workplace
and regulating the workplace to establish minimum working
conditions and fair labour practices. This gives impetus to
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the additional allocation of R120 million over the Medium-Term
Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period to the Commission for
Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, CCMA. In light of its
increasing caseloads, we hope that this allocation will
enhance the work of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation
and Arbitration and also ensure that cases are attended to
within reasonable timeframes.
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration
remains a key institution of national importance. It has
protected livelihoods and preserved many people’s jobs over
the years. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and
Arbitration’s job saving strategy known as the holistic
approach to dealing with large-scale retrenchments, what we
call section 189(a) ensures that all avenues are explored at
an early stage to mitigate job losses. This is particularly
helpful in an environment where certain employers have been
quick to invoke section 189(a) of the Labour Relations Act.
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration has
contributed immensely to reducing the number of job losses for
employees facing retrenchment occasioned by COVID-19. These
are the job losses widely known as “no fault dismissals.” In
the South African context, loss of one job is one too many.
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During the 2021-22 financial year, the Commission for
Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration recorded a total of
3 938 small-scale retrenchment activity which mirrored the
trend in large scale retrenchments ... [Interjections.] ... My
apologies for that Chairperson, is someone else. The ANC
government had committed to prioritising the creation of jobs,
not just any jobs but decent jobs. This was in acknowledgement
that too many of our people are without decent jobs.
It is thus imperative that millions more people, particularly
youth and women are drawn into decent employment and self-
employment. Much work still needs to be done to promote decent
work agenda. For its part, the Department’s Budget Vote
commits to ... [Interjections.] ... register 2,7 million
people. We must welcome the efforts to ensure that people who
are geographically located in the rural parts of our land are
not excluded, as the department will set up 9 mobile
employment youth centres across the country over the medium-
term. Another important component ... [Interjections.] ... of
the work of the department is regulating the workplace. To
this end we are looking forward to the annual review of the
national minimum wage, including the development of monitoring
mechanisms to measure ... [Interjections.] ...
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In conclusion, Chairperson and hon members, the support for
Vote 31 is not about turning a blind eye to the persistent
challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality ...
[Interjections.] ... Chairperson, I am truly sorry for that, I
apologise. Black women-owned e-waste businesses were supported
with skills development essential to combating youth
unemployment. The software development enterprises were
supported to provide marginalised communities with better
access to electronic repair services and encourage
entrepreneurship in two centres ... [Interjections.] ... that
were launched.
The Department of Employment and Labour and its entities must
play a critical role in defining its expanded mandate of job
creation in a practical way. It must facilitate collaboration
efforts among government departments and social partners to
create jobs across all the sectors. The Compensation Fund has
over the past years encountered a number of challenges, one of
them being inefficient information technology, IT, systems. To
address this, the fund commissioned a new claims management
system called CompEasy since October 2019. The fund started to
realise the benefits that came with the new system which
include improved controls and efficient processing of claims.
That, resulted in the reduction of long processes taken to
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adjudicate claims and further addressed the issue of backlogs.
Presently, the fund is also able to clear the high rate of
litigations received over years.
For the financial year 2021-22, over 100 thousand claims were
registered of which 79% were adjudicated within 30 working
days ... [Interjections.] ... Progress that has been made in
the Compensation Fund is truly remarkable and we would like to
see much of this in other entities such as the Unemployment
Insurance Fund, UIF, as well. Chairperson, just to return to
the question of the Institute of Race Relations. The Institute
of Race Relations has now become the new liberal champion,
championing the new liberal world and ... uh ... Against the
question of state intervention, does not, in fact, encourage
state intervention in any way.
... uh ... also, the Bill that is being spoken about, speaks
about targets and not quotas and I think we should just bear
that in mind. Also, if we are saying that investment is
important, then we need a social compact within this
Parliament to ensure that we are in such a way that we do not
chase away investors by negative approaches. To what hon
Apleni is saying, we need a positive outlook, a vision of
hope, a social compact for the youth together so that we can
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take this forward. By being negative about this all the time
we will not achieve the targets or the vision of creating
jobs, employment and opportunities for young people and women.
To hon Baartman, of course you have the Constitution ...
[Inaudible.] ... in the Western Cape. The Constitution is
developed for a particular reason there. Also, what we have to
look at is the condition of farm workers particularly in the
Western Cape, as the executive legislature looked at
addressing the difficulties that farm workers live under and
the difficulties which farm workers actually experience in the
workplace. On that, hon Chairperson, I want to thank you very
much. Also, my apologies for the disturbances. I did not
intend that. It is somebody else around me. We support this
particular Budget. Thank you, very much.
Mr T J BRAUTESETH: Thank you, hon House Chairperson, hon
Minister, hon members, ... [Interjections.] Can I continue,
hon Chairperson? Let me start again.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Yes, hon member. You can
start.
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Mr T J BRAUTESETH: [Interjections.] ... Chairperson, may I
continue.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Yes, continue. They are
disturbing you. You are protected.
Mr T J BRAUTESETH: Yes, thank you. I hope my time starts from
now. Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members, fellow South
Africans, I believe that maybe 1652 was trying to get hold of
hon Dangor because it is very upset that he didn’t mention
that in his speech. Anyway, back to the business of the day.
When considering this debate today, I am reminded of a
question that I am frequently asked which is: “What is the job
- the duty of government?” Others may reply in an incredibly
complex fashion detailing each department and the minutiae of
their work. I prefer to keep it simple. The job, the duty, the
compact any government has with its citizens is to create an
environment conducive to success. I will repeat - to create an
environment for success.
Any department, any annual performance plan, APP, or any
budget should be held to account against this standard. In
everything a department plans or executes, is it striving to
create an environment conducive to success? The failure to do
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so will result in skewed priorities, a lack of focus, and a
legion of bureaucrats desperately scurrying around trying to
look busy but not achieving much. This reality brings us
neatly to the Department of Employment and Labour.
To the uninitiated, consideration of the department’s title
could lead to the belief that this department creates
employment. That assumption is unfortunately far from the
truth. The Minister said a lot of ... [Inaudible.] ... things
here today, but the reality is that 35% of 12 million working
age South Africans are not employed - period! This department
does little to create any employment, save for the bureaucrats
it employs, but focuses more on policing employees and their
employers. And that is about it.
All of this is right there in the APP. The first 37 slides of
the presentation to our committee details all the plans to
regulate and enforce various bureaucratic measures to ensure
that everyone plays by the rules. It is only on slide 38 of 62
that is gets down to the nitty gritty of the problem. The
report bemoans the fact that 850 000 workseekers have
registered with the department but that only 105 000 work
opportunities have been listed. And of those work
opportunities, only 55 000 have been filled. It also states,
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as if to reassure the committee, that 240 000 of the
workseekers have been counselled. Well, it is oblivious to the
fact that counselling does not put food on the table. In
simple terms only 6,47% of those who approached the department
were actually linked to a job. That is a failure to create a
conducive environment for success.
The APP conveniently ignores the first two constitutional
mandates it lists in its own document, which is section 9:
Equal Access to Opportunities and section 18: Freedom of
Association. It forgets all about that and focuses only on
labour law enforcement. To illustrate this – the slide that
deals with inspectors on the level of enforcement is on slide
18 of the APP, trumpeting the levels of enforcement before
concentration, slide 25 later, on the actual sad state of
affairs listed above. This is borne out by the budget
allocations. Of the R3,9 billion allocated to this department,
R1 billion will be spent on administration, R657 million will
be spent on enforcement and R1,3 billion spend on labour
relations.
But what of the actual job of the department? What of creating
an environment conducive to success as measured by increased
employment? Sadly, there is little if no commitment to this.
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There are vague references to working with stakeholders but
nothing concrete. There is no reference to working with small
business to enable deregulation to stimulate growth of that
market and the resultant benefits in employment. There is no
talk of working with Finance to reduce taxes on small
businesses to stimulate development. There is no
identification of growth sectors that could be encouraged to
grow to create employment. We only see red tape and
enforcement. We only see the stick and no carrot.
Hon Chairperson, in conclusion, to provide an example of how
the department should work, I would like to talk about an
example in the City of Cape Town. The City of Cape Town
identified call centres as a growth industry to rival India
and Indonesia. The next important step, they approached the
industry and asked how they could assist. Training was
identified as a problem and so the City of Cape Town
repurposed a training college and trained up 500 call centre
agents, at the city’s cost. These newly trained recruits were
then eagerly accepted into the call centre industry.
The result of that, Chairperson is that, if you live in
Scotland today and have a problem with your energy bill, you
pick up the phone to complain, you will speak a call centre
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agent in Cape Town to sort it out - one of those trained
recruits. Minister, this is a small example of what is
possible. Take the blinkers off. Despite all your promises and
the nice things you promised in your speech, you still have
12 million people without work. Stop being the “Department of
Labour Enforcement” and make employment your focus again! I
thank you.
Ms L L NTSHALINTSHALI (Mpumalanga): Thank you very much, hon
Chair. Let me greet you in the House and also the Chair of the
NCOP, the Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, the Minister of
Employment and Labour, the Deputy Minister of Employment and
Labour, the chairperson and members of the portfolio committee
on Employment and Labour, MECs present, the hon Chief Whip of
the NCOP, hon members, members of the media, ladies and
gentlemen. Hon Chairperson, I want to begin by just re-
emphasising that the understanding of the strategic nature of
the Department of Employment and Labour. Erstwhile, the labour
market was not that much regulated. Working conditions of the
majority of black workers were appalling, job reservations was
at the helm in the workplaces. It is against this backdrop
that the department was established in this form mandated to
create condition conducive for creation of decent jobs,
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ensuring that there is workplace democracy and safety, equity,
transformation.
Where I am standing, we all observe the rampant and
unprecedented high unemployment levels, obstinate persistence
apartheid inequality fault lines. We are aware that
unemployment is caused by a number of internal and external
factors beyond our control. But is that meaning that we cannot
be creative to create employment? The fact is that our
activist state is required to intervene to turn the situation
to positivity.
Having said so, a question that is begging for answers is,
“How is the department affairs in regards to promotion of
equality in the workplaces?” Is Employment Equity Act yielding
intended consequences? It seems like not. Is the workplace
transformation agenda on equality includes insuring that the
equity is not just restricted on employment only but also
ensuring access by black entrepreneurs in private businesses
value chains or ecosystem? Legislation should be developed to
encapsulate the latter in regards to formulated some targets
to be included in the plans.
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The Department of Employment and Labour though its Training of
the Unemployed programme, career counselling is urged not to
only focus on getting employed outcomes, but also train youth
in entrepreneurial competencies and link them with the
employer’s business value chains – thus becoming employers
themselves. This approach will go a long way, each department
contributing to address the impact of poverty, inequality and
unemployment on youth in particular through participation,
amongst others, in the social economy.
In pursuit for leveraging programmes for intensifying the
employment mandate of the Employment and Labour Department,
the department should indeed look into what kind of skills the
Sector Education and Training Authorities, Setas, are
providing to the young persons in the country. It is
imperative that we don’t just train but should train to avoid
skills mismatch in the labour market. Ideally the state-owned
companies should be the ones at the forefront to affording the
young people to practice because profit-driven businesses have
no desire or will to embrace this idea. The department also
should consider the drive for the public and private
partnerships or companies to deliberately have graduate
development programmes similar to learnerships so that the
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graduates could have a fair chance of accessing employment
opportunities.
The issue of Equal Pay for Equal Work and nonaffirmation of
blacks and women in senior positions remains an illusion in
our country. Black executives are toiled and flushed out of
the system like nobody’s business. Now the question is: “What
is this department doing to ensure the improvement of the
status quo?” Serious and deliberate measures are needed or
required, or otherwise the Employment Equity Act becomes
irrelevant. Worse now we got to scale things up, in
transforming the workplaces to ensure that young blood is also
affirmed into senior leadership positions in both the private
and public sectors
The policy debate take place a day preceding Youth Day
celebrations tomorrow, 16 June 2022 - a day which the 1976
youth took to the street resisting instituting the street
compulsory use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction at
schools. The youth did that fully aware that education is
indispensable and critical for their personal development, a
development that will enable them to become employable, self-
employed or being an entrepreneur. Therefore, this employment
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and labour policy debate on budget wouldn’t have come in an
opportune time than this one, the Youth Month.
Youth population in our province and in the country in general
has grown and the country is getting younger and younger. Our
youth are faced with a paradox, a paradox of plenty – a
country with plenty resources like minerals but on the other
hand plenty of them are unemployment, notably structural
unemployment, high levels of poverty and the most unequal
society in the world.
Youth find themselves being the worst affected by these
paradoxes. The recent statistical survey indicates that
unemployment level in the country is standing on 34,5% of
which youth between the ages of 15-24 on the first quarter of
2021 was at 32,4% compared to quarter 1 of 2022, which was now
standing on 37%. In the 15-34 years category, the number of
unemployment was quarter 1 of 2021 at 43,6% vis-à-vis of
quarter 1 of 2022 which was standing at 46,3%.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict dismally affected our economy and
most pertinent our livelihood, food is becoming expensive,
fuel prices are going up, food items like cooking oil is going
up. That causes a soar towards contributing to the ever high
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poverty levels in society and youth are dearly affected. So,
high unemployment has devastating consequences to the social
fabric of our society which the most affected are young
people. Speak about loss of self-confidence, over indulgence
in drugs, alcohol, gender-based violence, gangsterism, etc. We
all need to invest in our future, our youth is our future.
Sepedi:
Baswa ke ma?upatsela!
English:
With that, we support the budget. I thank you.
Mr N M HADEBE: Hon. Chairperson, hon Minister the grim reality
of a national unemployment rate of 35,3% and that over
7.6 million South Africans are looking for work. One would
think with this exorbitant figure; government would call into
urgent action to create sustainable job opportunities.
We have been presented with false hope in the short-term job
opportunities that expire in a short period leaving people
without work in just a few months. Our fellow people that are
starving of hunger and have been abandoned by a government
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that continues to fail to deliver on its constitutional
mandate.
The department recently published a draft National Labour
Migration Policy and Employment Services Amendment Bill,
amending the employment of foreign nationals, for public
comment. It becomes clear, on consideration of the Labour
Migration Policy which is described as a policy framework that
will guide labour migration impacting on South Africa how
little effort has been made since the dawn of democracy to
address the reality of labour migration.
It is only now that the government has decided to actively
investigate this aspect and to ensure a coordinated government
response, to inform policy and prospective legislation.
The reality is that there is a strong, growing sentiment that
foreign nationals are being employed over and above South
Africans in jobs that do not demand critical or scarce skills.
Government is to blame in its non-action to action employment
restrictions on foreign labour, in sectors that provide the
sustenance to our people.
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The IFP has heard the cries of our young people. We have
listened to our youth who, despite a matric, cannot find any
work and do not have access to decent work. The IFP, in the
past two years, has taken the lead and prepared a Private
Members’ Bill, proposing to amend the Employment Services Act,
to regulate the recruitment of foreign nationals in certain
economic sectors and to strengthen the current regulatory
framework regarding the recruitment of such nationals.
On further consideration of the Department’s latest Annual
Performance Plan and Budget, the IFP strongly endorses the
portfolio committee’s recommendation that plans to review the
organisational structure of the Unemployment Insurance Fund
must urgently be attended to, in order to improve its
efficiency.
The backlog at the Fund and the slow progress in accessing
claims has been shocking, and the fund has been plagued by
irregular and wasteful expenditure, as pointed out by the
Auditor General. The IFP will carefully monitor progress
reports on the organisational restructuring of the Fund, which
serves a critical purpose. The IFP accepts the budget vote.
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Mr J J LONDT: Thank you hon House Chair, hon Mnister and hon
members. Firstly, if ever there was a solid example and
argument as to why we should go back to in person meetings, it
is the hon Dangor who struggles to put is phone on silent.
I know technology is a struggle for the ANC colleagues but if
we were in person meetings, anyone of the other people in the
House who is not in the ANC would have been able to put their
phone on silent and you would have been able to deliver your
speech without any interruptions.
But, getting back to the colleagues’ speeches, it is
exhausting and frustrating to hear how every single ANC cadre
blames Covid-19 for the legacy left by years of mismanagement
and incompetence by your party.
We are experiencing one of the worst unemployment rates in the
world, not due to the pandemic but due to policy uncertainty
and a few select cadres that steal money for their own
enrichment instead of it going to where it is needed,
stimulating our economy that will help create more tax payers
and less dependents.
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Hon Minister, there is however a very simple and easy first
step that will probably make you come back in a year and your
numbers will look much better and I’m going to quote from the
Western Cape premier, he said;
It is time that we do away with all Covid-19 restrictions
on mask wearing and gatherings. In practice this means we
need to allow congregations, conventions centres,
stadiums and others while we continue to safe and
navigate lives by doing away with these restrictions, we
will enable businesses to operate at full capacity and
grow. Residents should be able and be allowed to practice
the necessary behavior that they deem fit and have learnt
throughout the pandemic.
Ms C LABUSCHAGNE: We cannot hear.
Mr J J LONDT: Hon Chair can you hear me now?
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Yes, I can hear you sir.
You may continue hon member.
Mr J J LONDT: That is the second example in practice as to why
we should go back to in person meetings in the House because
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the government’s incompetence in ensuring that there is
constant electricity supply that it won’t interrupt our
networks is now in practice.
Chair, can you just give me an indication of my remaining time
please?
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms S E Lucas): One-minute
remaining.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Hon member, you have
one-minute remaining.
Mr J J LONDT: Okay, we are not supposed to be penalised when
load shedding affects us but let me continue.
Hon Minister, you and you colleagues in the Cabinet treat
South Africans as inferior citizens, inferior status and
intellects. By scrapping any and all remaining restrictions,
you will give the real economic drivers an opportunity to what
they are good at.
We are in the middle of youth month with the national youth
unemployment rate now over 42% for those aged between 25 and
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34. It seems, the older this Cabinet gets, the higher the
unemployment rate climbs. Maybe it is because this Cabinet is
incapable of carrying the gaze away from the past and from the
growing loot filled bank accounts.
In conclusion, I have some I have something for the 15 to 24
year olds to remember and you hon Minister might probably also
remember every morning when you wake up.
Every single day that those aged between 15 and 24 cannot find
a job, just look at the age of this Minister, for it seems
that the youth unemployment rate is linked to him in more ways
than we expected.
Hon Minister is now 63 years old and the unemployment rate for
this age bracket is over 63. Come 2024, the unemployment rate
in this bracket will probably be 65% with only one cure. We
need to get rid of this aging dinosaur, this green, yellow and
black dinosaur that has taken the country to its knees because
if you cannot find a job, go and register and let us allow
this last green, gold and yellow dinosaur to go axing. I thank
you.
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Mr K M MMOEIEMANG: Hon House Chairperson, allow me on behalf
of the ANC to express the gratitude to the opportunity given
to me to take part in this debate. Also allow me to pay due
recognition to the national leadership of this House led by
Ntate Masondo, the Deputy Chairperson and also our two House
Chairpersons and our Chief Whip, greetings to the hon
colleagues and also the special delegates.
The ANC supports this Budget Vote No 31: Employment and
Labour, precisely because of its commitment to deal with the
challenges it is confronting our women, youth and also persons
with disabilities, especially because of the fact that, in our
policy, there is an appreciation that they are the most
disadvantaged groups in the country.
Indeed, these groups are also discriminated against on the
basis of social norms and prejudice. The young people are the
most affected by a lack of employment opportunities in South
Africa. While youth unemployment is a global phenomenon, we
have among the worst joblessness rates for young people
globally.
Hon House Chairperson, statistics reveal that in South Africa,
the labour market is more favourable to men than women. Equal
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opportunity and equal treatment at work are at the core of decent
work. However, according to Statistics SA, men are more likely
to be in paid employment that women regardless of race.
The proportion of men in employment is higher than that of women
and generally, the unemployment rate amongst women is higher
than that of their male counter parts. Persons with disabilities
are worse off when it comes to discrimination in employment.
This is due to a number of factors such as discriminatory
attitudes, inaccessibility, the working environment and lower
wages.
Hon House Chairperson, there is discrimination within the
disability spectrum as persons with sight orientated
disabilities earn higher compared to persons with other
disabilities. These are the realities that are of concern to
the Department of Employment and Labour, as it develops
regulations of the workplace and transforming workplaces so
that they are accessible to all South African workers,
regardless of race, age or disability.
We acknowledge that the public sector has put various measures
in place to tackle discrimination in employment practices,
such as providing opportunities targeting women, young people
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and persons with disabilities. Indeed, House Chairperson, the
private sector, on the other hand is still lagging far behind
on this aspect.
In recent months, we have witnessed the emergence of vigilante
groups targeting foreign nationals employed in some business,
particularly in townships around Gauteng and other provinces.
The truth is that, some employers are exploiting the lack of a
clearly articulated policy framework in the management of the
labour migration, in such a manner that generates anger,
creates tension and causes conflict in the society.
We, therefore, find it pleasing that the department is
developing the National Labour Migration Policy, NLMP. We see
this National Labour Migration Policy as an intervention to
mitigate the inadequacy of policy framework that ought to be
aiding the country to tackle matters that relate to labour
migration.
Hon House Chairperson, South Africans have their own
legitimate expectations and aspirations in the labour market.
The practices that South Africans witness in the labour
migration space, give them the idea that their own interests,
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expectations and aspirations in the labour market are
relegated to the backyard.
Therefore, the National Labour Migration Policy aims to
harmonise an environment that is rapidly becoming emotive,
hence we support this budget. South Africans see what they
expect as their share from the domestic labour market being
usurped by others, and in some instances they take it upon
themselves and deal with the situation. Unfortunately, most of
the time, this is not in the manner that enhances social
cohesion, but where us and them attitudes prevail.
It is absolutely necessary to come up with the policy
framework the purpose of which is to contribute towards
concrete solutions to these challenge we hope that is what the
National Migration Policy aims to achieve.
We have noted that the department has been holding public
consultations throughout the country on this National Labour
Migration Policy and that it planned to complete that process
soon in order for the National Economic Development and Labour
Council, Nedlac, consultation to kick in.
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Hon House Chairperson, we sincerely believe that public
submissions must be sought and be looked at; and that advices
must be sought and when provided be seriously considered. So,
the process of developing this National Labour Migration
Policy, which is already underway, as I have already outlined,
must be carefully, cautiously developed so that it avoids
unintended consequences.
It is important to set aside sufficient time for this process.
Yes, urgency is of the essence, but we must not pay lip
service to consultation. Government must genuinely consult and
properly communicate on this particular policy framework up
until a concrete product is in place.
We appreciate the fact that the Department of Employment and
Labour, has entities that are very central to the
transformation of our country. Amongst them, is the Council
for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, CCMA that was
raised by the hon Minister.
We note that during the 2021-22 financial year, the CCMA,
heard 99,8% of concealable cases within 30 days at first
event. The 99,95% arbitration awards rendered were sent to
parties within 14 days of the conclusion of the arbitration
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proceedings. This must be appreciated, House Chairperson. We
also note that a total of eight collective bargaining support
processes were conducted for strategically identified users.
This is quite important so that it is able to mitigate the
challenges of industrial reaction.
The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying lockdown regulations
provided the CCMA with the opportunity to introduce new
streams of digital offerings. During the period from 30 July
2020 to 26 April 2022, the CCMA received 29 566 referrals
through its digital platforms. This must be commended.
Hon House Chairperson, the key focus of the CCMA as outlined
by the Minister, on dispute resolution must be to improve its
services to the labour market aimed at supporting and
strengthening collective bargaining to advance labour market
stability, economic development and prioritising employment
security.
We are therefore happy that the CCMA continues to provide
guidance and support in collective bargaining matters by
undertaking key strategic and operational initiatives that are
proactive, innovative, and able to adapt to the needs of the
labour market. In doing so, the CCMA improves collective
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bargaining and promotes orderly and healthy labour relations/
disputes.
Hon House Chairperson, the Float-pays State of Employee
Wellbeing Barometer 2022, launched two weeks ago, measured and
analysed the experiences of a sample of South Africa’s working
population. It showed that in South Africa, losses in
productivity is equated to 128 million days, which accounted
for R38 billion, or around 2%, of the country’s gross domestic
product, GDP.
So, therefore, one of the entities Productivity SA must
enhance its role of promoting employment growth and
productivity and contributing to South Africa’s socioeconomic
development and competitiveness. Productivity SA must help to
drive the national productivity strategy. As a country we need
to promote a culture of productivity in the workplace;
maintain a database of productivity and competitiveness
systems and publicise them and undertake productivity related
research on an ongoing basis.
Hon House Chairperson, amongst the challenges that we have to
confront, are the issues around Unemployment Insurance Fund,
UIF. Of course, we appreciate the fact that the Unemployment
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Insurance Fund achieved some unprecedented feats in our fight
to save lives and livelihoods during the worst outbreaks of
the COVID-19 pandemic. We must praise the ingenuity of the UIF
for finding innovative ways to support millions of workers and
hundreds of thousands of companies in distress. However, we
condemn those who abused this period to line their pockets
with UIF funds – including government officials who
collaborated with syndicates to fleece coffers of the fund.
We congratulate the Hawks and other law-enforcement agencies
for apprehending many suspects by recovering and returning to
the state millions of stolen public funds. The UIF’s ‘follow
the money’ process, led by the Minister, which entails
auditing all Covid-19 payments, has added to the capability of
government and must be replicated in other entities that award
grants and loans to companies.
We therefore call on the department to get to the bottom of
the scandalous reports of UIF monies that have been lost owing
to questionable investments involving the Public Investment
Corporation, PIC, in a number of companies. We commend the
department for the work it has done so far in this regard.
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Hon House Chairperson, I think it is important that we also
highlight to my colleagues in the opposition benches that the
ANC is not like them it is unlike them. They are the ones
occupying an unviable political space from which there is no
root to escape. We must remind them that the real challenges
faced is the challenge that has always confronted liberalism
in South Africa’s racially structured society. For us
liberalism has never being able to detach itself from its
image amongst blacks that it is a cover to white interest and
white leadership.
They must just ask what happened to Lindiwe Mazibuko, Mmusi
Maimane and Patricia de Lille. Recently, they have just
confronted the executive mayor of Johannesburg. Black people
who all achieve leadership positions in the DA will forever be
undermined by a backroom of white leadership cabal. The cabal
allegedly wanted to control them as puppets on a string. So,
the hon Baartman must be careful. It is important that they
appreciate the fact that the reason why they are not
supporting Employment Equity Bill is because they are afraid
to lose their right wing base, that they are contesting with
other right wing political parties.
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However, unfortunately they are also in a dilemma because
Mashaba is eating their base. Hon House Chairperson, the ANC
supports this Budget Vote No 31 of Employment and Labour.
Thank you.
The MINISTER OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR: Hon House Chairperson,
I hope you added my few minutes that I saved in my first
input. I want to thank the hon members and the colleagues who
have supported this particular budget. We always take
Parliament very seriously in terms of their input.
We take this as constructive debate, whenever they are
pointing out to the weaknesses that we have to deal with.
However, hon House Chairperson, I must indicate that I have no
time to respond to the far right and ultra-left thinking like
in the EFF which is illogical, unsound and unreasonable.
We also all know that circumstances beyond our control have
led to this situation and this massive high unemployment we
are talking about. We know that the unemployment in this
country is structural. The reason why the majority of the
people who are in poverty and unemployed are the black people.
That is structural as designed by apartheid given the skills
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that were given. All of a sudden they want to come and make
themselves better here today.
Also, how do you want to heal the divisions of the past if you
reject positive discrimination, that is in section 9(4) of the
Constitution, which refers to both unfair and fair
discrimination. An international literature covers this matter
of fair discrimination very well. You better consult that
international literature. It covers it very extensively.
Do not be trapped in the old apartheid privileges. I do not
know what we should take from you as the DA. On one hand, you
are calling for the decrease of the workers’ rights by calling
for the repeal of the labour legislation because you are
saying is a constraint to business. However, on the other
hand, you are calling for the Council for Conciliation,
Mediation and Arbitration, CCMA, should get more money, whilst
you are anti-labour rights. The CCMA is there to promote the
labour rights of the workers.
What is the job and the duty of government? You should know
that it is to create an environment for conducive to success
and that is what we are arguing. Yes, we agree, but it does
not end there. You should know that government has unveiled a
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programme. It is a huge programme of Economic, Reconstruction
and Recovery Plan which aims to build the new economy and
unleash South Africa’s true potential.
On the central pillars of this Economic, Reconstruction and
Recovery Plan, we are talking energy. Hence, we are focusing
on the power generation capacity. We are talking about
infrastructure, transport and road infrastructure, employment
stimulus. We are talking on mass social employment. We are
talking of employment oriented strategy when we are dealing
with industrialisation and localisation. We are talking about
support of tourism, tourism recovery, skills and growth, the
green economy intervention, strengthening agriculture and food
security macroeconomic interventions.
We know very well that the logic is for you to be able to be
successful to create employment, you need investment. If you
do not have investment, you will never have stability. The
government is clear that it has a role of providing legal and
social framework to also maintain competition to provide
public goods and services. Public goods and services must be
given by the government. Redistribute income and correct the
externalities and stabilize the economy. It is an established
principle even in the liberal economic theory that government
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intervenes in the market failure. That is the basics of
economics.
Unemployment and inequality are as a result of both race and
class issues. These are class issues in South Africa. This is
because of the race policies of the past. That is what we are
seated with. Can you explain why the flooding in the Western
Cape is hitting more of the townships? Can you explain that?
Why is it not hitting the white areas? What is the source of
that? Who recruits cheap labour from Lesotho and Zimbabwe in
Robertson and De Doorns, neglecting the South Africans who are
unemployed, because you want to exploit the disparate economic
refugees knowing that they will take anything in order to feed
themselves?
The problem we are having in South Africa is unrepentant
racists who want to protect the old apartheid and treat black
South Africans as slaves. The ANC will not allow it. We are
continuing with our transformation project. Thank you.
Debate concluded.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Thank you very much, hon
Minister. Hon members, I would like to thank and conclude the
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debate. I wish to thank the Minister, the Deputy Minister, the
MECs and all who participated in this debate.
Hon members, we now going to proceed to the next subject of
the next debate. The debate on Youth Day, with the theme:
Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods and Resilience of Young
People in South Africa for a Better Tomorrow. Hon members, I
will now call the hon S E Lucas, the Deputy Chairperson of the
National Council of Provinces to open the debate.
DEBATE ON YOUTH DAY: PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS AND
RESILIENCE OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR A BETTER
TOMORROW
(Subject for Discussion)
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Chairperson, let me
acknowledge the Chairperson of NCOP, the House Chairpersons,
the Chief Whip of the Majority Party or the Chief Whip of the
House, other Whips, Ministers and Deputy Ministers present,
MECs, the permanent and special delegates, ladies and
gentlemen, and particularly, the young people of South Africa,
I told the Chairperson before that I want to put a disclaimer
before I start with this debate. The disclaimer is as follows:
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It is not by design that those of us who will be participating
in this debate are recycled young people, it is unfortunately
the makeup of the National Council of Provinces. I am honoured
to be able to open this debate on the commemoration of Youth
Day 2022 under theme: ...
Afrikaans:
’n AGBARE LID: U lyk so jonk.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: ... Promoting sustainable
livelihoods and resilience of young people in South Africa for
a better tomorrow. [Interjections.] I did it deliberately.
I want to open my address with the wise words of Rigoberta,
when he said, and I quote:
Peace cannot exist without justice, justice cannot exist
without fairness, fairness cannot exist without development,
development cannot exist without democracy, democracy cannot
exist without the respect for the identity and worth of
cultures and peoples.
Today, we are engaging in a very important debate, which
demands outright fairness and truthful introspection,
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particularly, as we seek to build a vibrant developmental
democracy with South Africa’s young people as active
participants. We have to take into consideration South
Africa’s current developmental context, which continues to
disproportionately impacts on the young people of South
Africa.
According to Statistics SA, youth in South Africa continue to
be disadvantaged in the labour market with an unemployment
rate higher than the national average. According to the
Quarterly Labour Force Survey, for the first quarter of 2022,
the unemployment was 63,9% for those aged 15 to 24 and 42,1%
for those aged 25 to 34 years, while the current official
national rate stands at 34,5%.
Although the graduate unemployment rate remains relatively low
in South Africa, compared to those of other educational
levels, unemployment among the youth continues to be a burden,
irrespective of educational attainment. Year on year, the
unemployment rate among young graduates declined from 40,3% to
32,6%, while it increased by 6,8% to 22,4% for those aged 25
to 34 years in quarter one of 2022.
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These realities impede our ability to create and inclusive
social and economic society, where the youth are able to
participate more effectively.
The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerabilities of
youth workers and has made it an extended, more onerous
transition to decent employment for young people. These are
issues of fundamental importance in our country today, as it
impacts the ability of our nation to benefit more effectively
from the innovation, energy, and ideas of our youth.
As we have gathered in this manner today, we understand that
now is the time of us to chart a new path forward, towards
true freedom and true justice. It is incumbent upon us today
to ensure that youth emancipation is not a distant dream
embedded in our constitutional manuscript, without tangible
material changes in the quality of life of our people.
The outcome of our struggle for economic freedom is therefore
in our own ideas, our own struggles, and solidarity, which
South Africa’s youth must grapple with and employ every effort
to transform.
Afrikaans:
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In die geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika, ’n geskiedenis van bloed
en stryd, moes die jeug - die meerderheid - ly in die stryd na
vryheid. Tydens die apartheidsjare en onder ’n genadelose
regime is die jong mense letterlik en doelbewus weerhou van
hul vryheid deur ’n stelsel wat swart mense in hul eie
geboorteland in boeie gehou het.
Dit is hierdie nalatenskap van apartheid wat ons met moed
uitroei, want die wortels daarvan is steeds in elke aspek van
ons samelewing diep geanker.
In 1976 was dit jong swart mense wat besluit het dat genoeg is
genoeg, en dat hulle vir hul eie vryheid wil baklei en vryheid
binne hulle eie leeftyd wil sien. Vandag herinner die
geskiedenis ons nog steeds daaraan dat, voordat ons ’n
demokratiese bestel in Suid-Afrika gehad het, jeugontwikkeling
binne ’n konteks van politieke, sosiale, ekonomiese en
kulturele onderdrukking plaasgevind het.
English:
This situation contributed directly to many of the current
dilemmas that young women and men face. The context and the
remnants of social and economic oppression still persist, with
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the cyclical nature of poverty and economic exclusion still
defining the material conditions of our youth today.
The youth struggle in this country is one in which there is a
symbiotic relationship between the resolution of the
antagonism thrown up by national oppression and the
fundamental problems of social justice, as well as the
fundamental economic deprivation and patriarchy faced by the
youth of our nation.
Our transition is one process characterised by different
spaces with different emphases. In his book titled: Dying
Colonialism, author Franz Fanon, states that each generation
will approach revolution in the context in their moment in
history. Fanon insist that praxis must be rooted in the
temporal, but each generation must confront the living reality
of its own situation, accept its own call to battle, gather
its own weapons and in the vortex of struggle from within the
collective nutation of popular political empowerment, produce
its own truth.
But, while we do confront each situation, straggling infinity
with its prospects for new secrets to be revealed and
nothingness, which condemns us to absolute responsibility for
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our choices in the face of the void, we dare not step into
that situation from nowhere. The contribution made by our
ancestors in struggle is part of what makes us, and provides
us with some of our weapons.
Covid-19 has meant that the national conversation about the
youth has taken a new urgency. The youth and future
generations will sustain the bulk of the economic and social
consequences of the current global crisis. Overall, the broad-
ranging effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the wellbeing of
young people have been severe, and drastically inhibited their
access opportunities for support, growth and development.
Effects such as these threaten to worsen inequalities where
they exist and diminish the potential of an entire generation.
Both Covid-19 and the economic recovery plan provide us with
an opportunity to achieve a sustainable economic future that
puts South African youth at the center. It provides us with an
opportunity of applying a youth and intergenerational lens in
crisis response, in recovery measures across the public
administration. Its affords us and opportunity of updating
national youth strategies in collaboration with new
stakeholders, to translate political commitments into
actionable programmes.
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There is an urgency that we need partnering with national
statistical offices and research institutes to gather this
aggregated evidence on the impact of the crisis by age group,
to track inequalities and inform decision-making. We must also
promote age diversity in public consultation and state
institutions, to reflect the needs and concerns of different
age cohorts in decision-making. We must provide targeted
policies and services for the most vulnerable youth
populations, including young people not in employment,
education or training, young migrants, homeless youth and
young women, adolescents and children facing increased risks
of domestic violence.
And the response that we need to develop must be a response
that is actually fit for the purpose. However, for the past 25
years, there was a lot of development. It was not just in a
vacuum, but it makes a difference and it brings a kind of
improvement into the lives of our young people. We should
define the achievements of the past 25 years objectively and
truthfully. This must involve evidence-based assessment of the
political and socioeconomic change in our society today.
For the past 25 years, youth development and empowerment have
been a key focus of government interventions. The Twenty-five-
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year Review Report highlights the major achievements in
relating to five prioritised strategic focus areas of the 2009
to 2014 and the 2015 to 2020 youth policies. When assessing
the progress around education, skill, and second chance, the
intention is to improve access to quality education, which
unlocks the potential of young people, by building their
capacities. South Africa made gains in promoting access to
education and training. This is evident by educational
attainment outcomes, which continue to improve.
Government increased financial support for poor learners,
mainly through no-fee schools and the National Student
Financial Aid Scheme for deserving students. To ensure
economic participation and transformation, government
implemented several employment programmes, which primarily
targeted young people, including the Community Works
Programme, the Expanded Public Works Programme and the
National Rural Youth Services Corps and the Youth Employment
Service.
According to the Twenty-five-year Review Report, in terms of
entrepreneurship, there has been an increase in youth-owned
businesses. Overall, youth-owned businesses have increased by
7,7%.
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We as Parliament has a different role. What is the role that
we can play in advancing and deepening youth development? We
will need to strengthen our oversight processes for purposes
of improving co-ordination across the spheres of government.
Institutional arrangements and mechanisms that pertain to
youth development must be improved, and even clear objectives
and priorities to focus on, across all spheres of government.
It means that we must be deliberate and consistent in our
commitment to create platforms for regular engagement, and
move away from treating youth development as an event to be
celebrated once a year.
We have to develop the necessary analytical and methodological
tools and mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the
implementation of the youth policy framework. This is very
important. We must have a multidimensional approach that
focuses on all aspects that propel accelerated youth
developments.
In conclusion, in South Africa, the concept of youth
development has been shaped by the long history of struggle
against apartheid. Throughout our history, young people have
been agents of change, drivers of transformation, as a
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collective conscience, and have participated actively in the
development of a socially inclusive and economically
empowering society. The capacity of young people to plan is
often underestimated, but with the right environment and
space, they show remarkable understanding of the complexity of
development challenges and the skill to identify and manage
risks.
It is this untapped capacity that should be harnessed, to
drive participatory involvement that is essential for
sustainable development.
Afrikaans:
Sestien Junie is nie net ’n dag, wat ons vier of herdenk,
omdat ons wil praat oor Hector Petersen of oor die feit dat
mense nie die reg het tot eie besluit oor watter taal van
onderrig hulle wil hê nie. Dit gaan nie vandag meer daaroor
nie. Dit gaan daaroor dat die jeug van vandag, die môre van
Suid-Afrika is. En as ons nie vandag begin om seker te maak
dat die jeug hul regmatige plek inmeem nie, het ons nie ’n
toekoms in hierdie land nie. Ek dank u.
Ms F NKOMONYE (Eastern Cape): Hon House Chairperson, Hon
Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, The Chief
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Whip of the NCOP, Special Delegates as well as the Permanent
Delegates of the NCOP, hon Ministers in the platform as well
as the Deputy Ministers that have graced this occasion, the
MECs, ladies and gentlemen, very good afternoon to you. I
apologise for the background because I am in the car in an
area where the network reception is bad. So, I had to move
into a car and I apologise for that. I am used to debate in
the NCOP. On a lighter note, it feels like I am home and I
cannot wait for the renovations to be completed so that I can
physically come. I know the rules and I apologise profusely.
Maybe I should start with the disclaimer that I am not so
young and I am now young at heart just like hon Lucas who
started with that disclaimer. However, it gives me great
pleasure to take this opportunity on behalf of the Eastern
Cape, the home of legends, to debate in this very much
important discussion that is being discussed in the NCOP. As
we mark 46 years of the Soweto Uprisings, a historical
landmark that signifies the successive youth struggles which
have shaped the history of our country.
We are gathered here under the theme, Promoting Sustainable
Livelihoods and the Resilience of Young People in South Africa
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for a Better Tomorrow. This theme reminds me of the words of
President Oliver Tambo when he said:
The children of any nation are its future. A country, a
movement, a person that does not value its youth and
children do not deserve its future.
There is certainly no tomorrow without young people and there
is no future without the youth. We therefore, understand our
role as that of nurturing the youth and creating an enabling
environment that will ensure that young people have access to
education, skills, they get work and all the necessary
opportunities to prepare them for the future. Young people are
drivers of innovation and change in any society. They are the
engine of new ideas and different ways of solving societal
problems. We therefore should not simply prepare the youth for
the future ...
IsiZulu:
USIHLALO WENDLU (Nk W Ngwenya): Ngiyacabanga ukuthi usebenzisa
ucingo futhi manje bamuthinta kulo lona ucingo futhi.
Iyabaleka phela lento umangabe umuntu ekuthinta ngocingo.
English:
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The CHIEF WHIP OF THE NCOP (Mr S J Mohai): May I propose
Chair?
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Yes, Chief Whip.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE NCOP (Mr S J Mohai): I propose that we
skip the member and rearrange that the she gets another
opportunity later on because she mentioned her situation
initially. Thank you House Chair.
Mr M R BARA: Hon House Chairperson, hon members and hon MECs
here with us ... [Connection problems.] ... I do not know ...
IsiXhosa:
... kwenzeka ntoni?
USIHLALO WENDLU (Nk W Ngwenya): Bara ohloniphekileyo, andiyazi
nam ukuba kwenzeka ntoni sana.
English:
I am sure there is an echo.
IsiXhosa
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Qhuba siza kuyibamba ihamba. Mseleku ohloniphekileyo, yima
kancinci sana. Qhuba Bara.
Mnu M R BARA: Mhlawumbi iza kulunga kwesi sihlandlo, Sihlalo.
English:
Hon House Chairperson, hon members and hon MECs, good
afternoon. The month of June is the month where South Africa
gives recognition and acknowledgement to the young people of
this country. The question we should be asking ourselves is
that, is one month enough to recognize the majority of the
country’s population? The very same people that should be at
the driver’s seat in driving interventions of development and
environmental agenda.
In a country where 80% of young people are saying they have
been directly affected by everything that is happening around
them, politically, socially and environmentally. Of those
impacted, 20% said their home was damaged, 16% stated that
their education was disrupted, and 14% had limited access to
safe water. I am merely mentioning just a few. There are areas
where young people should be playing strategic roles to
influence sustainable livelihoods and resilience to the entire
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society, to provide holistic and comprehensive engagement that
will ensure that their views and participation matters.
Young people in 1976 led a revolution that will forever remain
in history as a beacon of hope, but the youth of today face
new challenges. However, a better future is possible if we
build a determined, resilient and empowered society. Young
people are at the brutal face of being ignored, unnoticed and
marginalized in all essence within our country whereas they
suffer the dire consequences of every pandemic we are facing.
According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first
quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate was 63,9% for those
aged 15-24 and 42,1% for those aged 25-34 years, while the
current official national unemployment rate stands at 34,5%.
This provides a gloomy picture that for every 10 young people
you meet, seven will be unemployed. This is the current picture
of unemployment for young people in South Africa.
The starting point is to recognize that the youth is an
integral part to the development of South Africa. They must
therefore be accepted as equal partners in crafting the
solutions to the challenges they face as a generation and
members of society. There should be nothing discussed
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regarding a way forward without them, clearly that requires
intensive skills development programmes that will capacitate
and empower them to feel the need to be part of a better
tomorrow. The young people are demoralized, demotivated and
lack the zeal to take part, that clearly says we as a country
need to prioritize their psychosocial involvement.
We live in a society where crime is seen as a solution to the
current societal challenges facing young people. We see on a
daily basis young people resort to unhealthy and risky
behavioural patterns as a way of survival. This is through
substance abuse, risky sexual conducts, and the lack of
structural interventions that will equip them with economical
strengthening. There is a serious and urgent need to support
young people to build their self-esteem, to be goal driven and
increase access to appropriate skills and employment
development as a way of reducing vulnerability. A focus on
strengthening the mental capacity of our youth to combat the
ails of living in South Africa, as it is mentally damaging to
live in South Africa currently.
Youth unemployment has a negative effect on the individual and
the family, but also on the broader community in the form of
serious economic and social consequences. This includes
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economic welfare, production, and erosion of human capital,
social exclusion, crime and social instability. The
sustainable livelihood and resilience for young people is an
effort to conceptualize livelihoods in a holistic way, taking
into consideration many factors, constraints and opportunities
that they are subjected to. These constraints and
opportunities are shaped by numerous factors ranging from
health, education, economy, social stability, safety and
security.
The other key challenge they face is gender-based violence.
Young people in communities could be organized and integrated
to fight this scourge of criminality. This would help young
people in gaining skills and work to make communities safer.
South Africa is a youthful country, we have an obligation to
put young people at the forefront of empowerment for us to be
able to achieve a brighter and better tomorrow. We should
invest in our own gems so that they will not start looking for
opportunities abroad.
South Africa is seen as a promised land to many countries in
Africa but our young people are living in a shameful state and
not having proper skills and views that others envisage. We
can do better and we owe it to the youth of 1976 to not let
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their seed go un-watered. Young people are the future, they
need to be equipped to be ready to take the bait and deliver
us to a better tomorrow as a country, because, lest we do not
do that, the future generations will not forgive us.
We urgently need a robust system that will be anchored towards
the principles of leadership capacity-building that will serve
as a forum of young leaders to establish a synergy of action
and initiatives to effectively promote youth voice through
advocacy, values formation and general youth desk. We need a
vibrant youth led initiative that empowers young people
through creating awareness on all aspects affecting young
people, promoting social values and gender responsiveness in
all development initiatives, fostering hard work, self-
discipline and healthy choices. We need programmes that will
pioneer practical and sustainable development, with young
people at the frontline.
Thorough engagement with the private sector is necessary to
take stock of what are the prohibiting factors that limits the
uptake of young people in the different sectors. What needs to
be done for the different sectors to open up for massive youth
intake and develop targeted youth enrolment? The sector
education and training Authority, Seta should be in the
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forefront of youth uptake. That should be done by way of
upskilling the youth in different sectors and skills for them
to be ready for employment opportunities and various business
opportunities.
Chairperson, we have a lot in our hands and we dare not fail
the youth for history will judge us harshly. All hands on deck
for the future of our country and the young people. I thank
you, Chairperson.
Ms M HLOPHE (Gauteng): House Chairperson, Chairperson and
Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, permanent and special
delegates of the NCOP, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip, 46
years ago on 16 June 1976 an uprising that resulted into death
and destruction occurred in our province Gauteng. That gave
rise to a South African National Youth Day, a day that started
peacefully did not end the same way as young students were
shot point blank by a merciless apartheid regime, who did not
only value life but saw nothing wrong in killing women and
youth without flinching.
The South African Constitution Preamble reads:
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We, the people of South Africa, Recognised the injustices
of the past; Honour those who suffered for justice and
freedom in our land;
The South African Youth Day provides us with one of those
unique opportunities to reflect on our past and honor those
who paid a supreme price of our freedom. A distinct, unique
and rare opportunity for reflection on the lives, times,
sacrifices, thoughts and actions of those who came before us
and contributed to what we know today as freedom.
Former President OR Tambo said that “a country, a movement, a
people, that does not value its youth, does not deserve its
future.” Indeed, our former President affirms the significance
of the youth of our country as the beacon of hope for a
prosperous South Africa. Our Province, through its policy
possession guide ...
South Africa has a notable youthful population. This youth
should serve as our competitive advantage, in developing the
nation, and driving innovation. As the youthful exuberance of
young people should foster rapid growth and development.
However, this is not the case as young people continue to
experience high levels of unemployment, poverty, and
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inequality. Of which the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic
has worsened their fortunes.
Our hon Premier, Mr David Makhura has marshalled our province
and our provincial departments to focus on addressing the
situation of youth in the province. Appreciating that
statistics reveal that 2,2 million youth are displaced as they
are unemployed, not in school and spending their days watching
the sun rise and set.
Accordingly, and in line with the articulations of President
OR Tambo, the province has established a war room, made up of
all departments, our entities, civil society and the private
sector whose main role is to obsess itself with addressing
youth development and unemployment.
Additionally, the Premier will tomorrow, announce the Youth
Advisory Panel, a panel that will work together with
government in tracking and tracing the progress made by
departments, in creating an enabling environment for the
creation of jobs and addressing youth development.
Chair, we embark on this critical work, appreciating that
youth unemployment is a pandemic which we must resolve. A
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pandemic not unique to our country only, but globally. Albeit
in our case with South African characteristics born out of our
racial, gender and class disparities. Amongst the various
interventions we have in the province, is our Tshepo 1 million
programme which has provided 520 000 youth with job
opportunities, 65% of which are young women. Additionally, we
have embarked in mass digital training for young people,
ensuring that they are in the forefront of our 4th industrial
revolution.
Chair, we further acknowledge that, albeit youth unemployment
affects both those with and without education. The statistics
show that those without education are far more vulnerable, and
are more susceptible to a life of aid. Accordingly, our
province places emphasis on education and our department of
education continues to do exceptionally well being amongst the
best performers in the country. But to ensure that we also
utilise schools for holistic youth development. In this
regard, both the Gauteng Department of Education and that of
Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation we will be launching the
Wednesday league program. Our integrated sports programme
which seeks to bring back sports and arts into our no fee
schools. Appreciating that if we are to reverse the tide of
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teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse amongst young people
we ought to be intentional in this regard.
Hon Chair, our province sees youth development not just as
something we embark on during this month of June, but rather
as something we must embark on, on a daily basis if we are to
deal decisively with our youth unemployment and
underdevelopment. We draw strength from the youth of 1976 and
we dare not fail them. Ngiyabonga. [I thank you.]
Ms S A LUTHULI: Chairperson, with your permission, can I please
switch off my video because we don’t have electricity?
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J NYAMBI): Okay.
Ms S A LUTHULI: Thank you so much, Chairperson. We are
gathered here today to mark the Soweto Uprising Day, which
took place on June 16 1976 against one of the most brutal
systems of oppression in the world.
We commemorate the day when the black youth dressed in their
school uniform, marched peacefully in their numbers to oppose
the illegitimate government of white minority rule. Their call
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was not only based on the use of Afrikaans as the medium of
instruction but was also a call for an end of apartheid rule.
For the youth of 1976 understood that the importance of
education as a liberal and a pathway to a better life. These
ideals are forever relevant for our own society today because
the struggle for the emancipation of our people has not
changed much particularly for the young people of this
country. Today, we take an opportunity to honour this
generation. The ideals which they lived and died for, should
serve as a source of inspiration to all the youth of our
country across all provinces.
In 1976, the youth of our country correctly identified their
mission and the various challenges which they faced ...
[Interjections.] ...
Ms M O MOKAUSE: Inaudible.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J NYAMBI): Let’s allow the member
to finish.
Ms S A LUTHULI: Thank you. Today, we take this opportunity to
this generation, the ideals which they lived and died for
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should serve as a source of inspiration to all the youth of
our country across all provinces. In 1976, the youth of our
country correctly identified their mission and their various
challenges, which they faced. Today, 46-years later, our black
youth are once again faced with the obligation to identify
their own mission and the vast amount of challenges which they
face.
As we commemorate our Youth Day, we do so on the backdrop of
youth which is subjected to an education system which is a
complete failure as it is characterized by poor
infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms and poor educational
outcome. And it has continued to fail the black child on a
daily basis. Many challenges prevailed as the quality of
education has not improved much for the poor black working
class. Today, our youth bears the brunt of unemployment. Our
country has one of the highest unemployment
...[Interjections.] ...
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J NYAMBI): Hon Luthuli?
Ms M O MOKAUSE: Chairperson?
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J NYAMBI): Yes.
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Ms M O MOKAUSE: It looks like hon Luthuli is having a problem.
May I continue?
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J NYAMBI): As long as you are
going to take it from where she left off and conclude.
Ms M O MOKAUSE: There is load shedding where she is staying.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J NYAMBI): You may proceed and
conclude on her behalf.
Ms M O MOKAUSE: This debate also comes at a time where South
Africa is bleeding of high unemployment, bleeding of young
people abusing drugs and alcohol. Such suicide amongst young
people is on the rise, Chair. Young people depend on
government grants. This alone is extremely unacceptable that
today and at this day and age 26 years into democracy,
Chairperson young people are left to die a silent death due to
governance ignorance.
Chair, tomorrow here in Makwarela Thohoyandou, the commander
in chief and president of the EFF will again speak to young
people, give hope to young people of South Africa and request
them to hold on until the EFF takes power in 2024 and deliver
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economic freedom in our lifetime. The higher unemployment rate
creates a perfect storm for other social ills such as crime,
gender-based violence and femicide, and social unrest.
Chair, every day there is news of the abuse of women and
femicide being perpetuated, which has left young women of
South Africa in a constant state of anxiety, fearing for their
lives. It is the youth who are at the forefront of poverty,
who are at the coalface of poverty who suffer the most of
these crimes, who as are ... [Inaudible.] ... the most in
public institutions who get the short end of the stick when it
comes to the access to free education and who cannot find any
employment opportunities.
Chairperson, we all know this to be true, but there have not
been any serious steps towards addressing these problems. Like
the 1976 generation, our youth only has themselves to rely on
because the President of South Africa and his Cabinet has
abandoned the ship and the poor black communities have been
left alone to feel the impact. We have been left to fend for
ourselves against poverty, unemployment, and a failing
education system.
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As a nation Chair, we have been left on our own to determine
the fate of our children and the lives of our own communities.
It is for this reasons that we must understand that the
student uprising of 1976 was led by a generation that was
conscious enough on how unjust apartheid society was in its
totality. Those young people fought not only against Bantu
education system, which was imposing Afrikaans on them as a
language of instruction. They fought to develop their own
communities and freed themselves from the monster apartheid
domination. They were young people who understood that the
education they receive must have them at the centre, and that
there was no education without a liberated society.
The vision of those young people and their commitment should
inspire us to fight for the dignity of a black child. The
brave youth of 1976 must inspire us to act decisively against
the various challenges which we face today. It is the
uncompromising character of the 1976 youth that guides us as
the economic emancipation movement to fulfil our generational
mission in the same way, those rebellious young people
fulfilled theirs in fighting for freedom.
Chairperson, as the EFF, we will continue to advance the cause
of the emancipation of young people in this country. And we
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will continue to fight to ensure that it is being realized.
Listen to the commander in chief tomorrow, we invite you all
on all EFF social [Time expired.]
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE COUNCIL: Please don’t invite us to this
kind of rallies. Focus.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Thank you. Order hon
members! I will now invite MEC Nkomonye to continue with her
speech as she also experienced some network problems.
Ms F NKOMONYE (Eastern Cape): Thank you very much hon Nyambi.
Thank you so much for your understanding and the House’s
understanding. As I was saying hon Chair, there is no tomorrow
without young people. There is no future without the youth. We
therefore should understand our role is the current leadership
that, of nurturing young people and creating an enabling
environment, that will ensure that young people have access to
education. They have access to skills and they have work and
all the necessary opportunities to prepare them for the
future.
Young people are the drivers of innovation and change in any
society. They are the engine of new ideas and to find ways of
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solving societal problems. We therefore should not simply
prepare the youth for the future, but include them in the
decision-making and leadership of today. So that the nation
may benefit from their innovation and new ideas in shaping our
shared future.
The celebration of Youth Day is not just a commemoration of
the historic 16th of June in 1976, but it is an
acknowledgement that indeed the youth are the drivers of
history. The youth are the engines of change in any society.
Standing here today we are paying homage to the young people
who bravely said, “freedom in our lifetime” in the face of
tear gas, live ammunition, detention without trial, torture in
difficult condition in the military camps. We stand on the
shoulders of these giants, the youth of 1976, and an
unforgettable example of the power of youth in their memory.
Young people of this country must stand up and raise their
hand to help build our country.
Today we invoke their memory, not to overglorify the past, but
to call upon their spirits to be with us as we face today’s
challenges. We remind ourselves of their bravery so that we
can daringly face today’s difficulties. The challenges that
the youth faces today may seem immense, ...
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IsiXhosa:
... sizalwa ngamaqhawe ...
English:
... and as such, we should overcome our challenges because ...
IsiXhosa:
... yindlela esizalwe ngayo leyo. Singabazukulwana booHector
Peterson, isizukulwana sikaRuth First, Solomon Mahlangu ...
English:
... and many others who died young in pursuit of our freedom.
In South Africa, the youth constitutes majority of the
population. Bearing this in mind, young people continue to
face serious challenges and key amongst those, is the youth
unemployment that has been indicated by speakers before me. It
is not an understatement hon Chair to say that, this challenge
has reached crisis proportions. The picture even gets gloomier
when you consider the staggering numbers of those who are not
in employment, who are not in education and not in training.
The unemployment rate is even higher amongst young women with
youth in rural areas even far worse off. Young people with
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disabilities continue to face enormous challenges in the
labour market as they are more likely to be socially excluded
and marginalised. Hon Chairperson ...
IsiXhosa:
... asenzi zililo ke namhlanje, izililo zikaYeremiya
ngeengxaki esijongene nazo.
English:
As government we have to take responsibility and as leadership
not only as government, as leadership in this House, whether
you are in the opposition or in government, we must forge our
hands together and take responsibility for the challenges that
we are faced with. We must accept that youth unemployment is a
crisis, a ticking time bomb and we are running out of time. It
therefore cannot be business as usual. And over the past 28
years, democratic government has introduced a number of
policies and programmes to construct response education system
and shape a democratic vision and values of this country. And
this has resulted in a significant increase in the number of
children in youth access in education across the system, from
Grade R to tertiary.
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Hon Chair, I think we must mention here today and thank those
who participated in the struggle that was #FeesMustFall
Movement in improving the access to higher education. As part
of dealing with the challenges there as Eastern Cape
Provincial government, we have set aside a budget of more than
R100 million Rand over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework,
MTEF to Isiqalo Youth Fund. The Isiqalo Youth Fund has over
the past two years supported youth-owned businesses and start-
ups in an effort to address challenges of youth unemployment.
This yea, we have also allocated R10 million to four different
universities in the province, to assist with clearing a
historical student debt to enable more students to access
higher education in the province, but also to help those
students who can’t receive their qualifications because they
owe these universities, so that they can be able to enter the
job market.
Hon members, given all these challenges, we should all support
the speedily implementation of the National Youth Policy
recommendations, in particular the ones that speaks to access.
All schools must have access to internet and free data, lay a
foundation for the creation of future entrepreneurs by
equipping learners with entrepreneur skills. All postschool
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institutions should be inclusive to ensure that learners with
disabilities have a right to education and are protected. And
also we must implement set asides for youth across sectors.
Government must implement and monitor 30% set asides for
employment of youth in targeted prioritised sectors. A youth
centric approach to wealth development should be undertaken to
support young people, including young or agro entrepreneurs. A
proposal to relax taxes for youth start-ups should be explored
as an avenue to improve their sustainability.
In conclusion hon Chairperson, at the centre of youth
unemployment crisis in two key elements, namely economic
growth to enable the economy to create more jobs, and skills
development to address the mismatch between employment
opportunities and available skills. It is not the absence of
the plans. The National Youth Policy, the National Development
Plan, and the Economic Development Plan are in place every
must chance push for decisive implementation. I thank you hon
Chairperson of the session. We will be gladly hosting the
President tomorrow here in the Province of Eastern Cape as we
commemorate the Youth Day. Thank you so much.
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Mr I NTSUBE: Thank you hon House Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy
Ministers, MECs, special and permanent delegates.
Sesotho:
Le rona re leboha monyetla o re o fumaneng kajeno ...
English:
... to participate in this historic debate of our time and
hope that after this we would have a pragmatic solution to the
problems facing our people.
Hon House Chairperson, the historical mission of the ANC as a
people’s liberation movement is the liberation of blacks in
general and Africans in particular, through the pursuit of the
National Democratic Revolution which seeks to transform
society from the ruins of colonial-apartheid and usher in a
non-racial, non-sexist and a democratic society.
There is no doubt that throughout the journey towards the
national democratic society, the youth has been a key motive
force for change which not only stands to benefit from this
transformation we seek to achieve but also as a social stratum
they are the drivers of this change.
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There are many generations of youth which have emerged within
and outside the ANC to provide an impetus for our struggle.
The very formation of the ANC was an initiative driven by a
young scholar and Pan African activist, Pixley Isaka Seme who
made a clarion call for the unity of Africans and undermine
the demon of tribalism that had served the colonial powers so
well in dividing the natives.
The 1944 golden generation which infused the liberation
movement with new life, ideas and energy, through their
clarion call freedom in our lifetime is another example of the
role that the youth can play.
Today we honour the young heroes and heroines who answered the
call when the hour of the youth had struck, we salute the
defiant generation of 1976 who rejected the Bantu Education
System and the youth of the 1980s who rendered apartheid
ungovernable and its machinery unworkable.
Hon Chairperson and hon members, Frantz Fanon in his book
entitled The Wretched of the Earth posits that each generation
must discover its mission, fulfil it or betray it, in relative
obscurity.
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This calls upon the current generation to locate their role in
the struggle in the current context and as previous
generations have done to answer the call of the hour. There is
greater consensus amongst all of us that the current socio-
economic conditions of poverty, unemployment and inequality
renders the quality of the lives of our youth today into
obscurity.
These triple challenges in turn create the conundrum among
others, the high levels of crime, gender based violence and
femicide, drugs and substance abuse.
According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, QLFS, for the
first quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate was 63,9% for
those aged 15-24 and 42,1% for those aged 25-34 years, while
the current official national rate stands at 34,5%. This shows
that the youth bears the burden of unemployment.
In addition to this reality which was already exacerbated by
the Covid-19 pandemic, the recent geopolitical developments
have had a negative impact on our economy and this means that
more young people will fall below the poverty line.
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The developmental state must take this reality into cognizance
and ensure that social compacts with market and non-market
stakeholders prioritizes the question of streamlining youth
development at all spheres of the state.
Another reality that we must grapple with in the current
discourse is that of gender inequality, female unemployment
rate has remained higher than that of their male counterparts.
This is indicative of apparent disparities between men and
women in different facets of life, which leaves women lagging
behind in terms of socio-economic opportunities.
According to the unemployment figures from the QLFS, 2022
released by Statistics SA, unemployment rates for males and
females were 31,4% and 36,4,0% respectively. Of these, black
African women were the most vulnerable with an unemployment
rate of 40,6%.
Furthermore, even amongst the ranks of the employed there’s
still a gender pay gap which shows that women on average earn
less than men for doing the same kind of work. According to
the United Nations, South Africa has experienced a decline of
the gender wage gap at the mean from about 400% in 1993 to
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about 16% in 2014. However, the gap declined only until 2007
and was stagnant thereafter, oscillating at 16%. This lopsided
power dynamic provides an explanation for the social crisis of
gender based violence and femicide we face today.
Significantly, the ideas and energies of our youth are already
being deployed to respond to these socio-economic conditions
through their innovative and entrepreneurial spirit,
especially in the townships and rural areas.
In 2019 we learnt of the story of Sibusiso Tshabangu from
Sibanye Village in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga whom together with his
6 employees was manufacturing oil, diesel, petrol, jet fuel,
and LPG gas from his backyard using bio-technology from
plastic waste. At the time Sibusiso was manufacturing 200
litres of diesel and 50 litres of petrol a day and the local
community was abuzz and supportive of his products.
This could be a solution to our fuel crisis which is at the
centre of the rise in food prices and food insecurity. The
Small Enterprise Development Agency, SEDA, which has programs
assisting in business incubation, enterprise development, and
strengthening of cooperatives made a commitment to assist
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Sibusiso and other township based innovators and
entrepreneurs.
Assisting innovators with compliance standards is a way of
breaking down the barriers of market entry so that they are
able to supply the local market, this will also create youth
employment.
Hon House Chairperson, we welcome the Gauteng Township
Economic Development Act 2 of 2022 which has been signed into
law by the Premier of Gauteng. The intentions of this Act is
to provide a framework for the promotion and development of
the township economy, licensing of enterprises in deprived
areas, funding to assist small enterprises, and provide
principles to be adopted by municipalities in adopting by-laws
concerning local businesses.
The youth in our townships will surely benefit from these
interventions which will also provide a basis to regulate the
creative industries where young artists are still subject to
exploitation by more established market players. We hope other
provinces will emulate this bold step taken by Gauteng. We
know for a fact the Free State province under MEC Magalo is
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right on track under this regulation that we have just alluded
to.
Hon members, the democratic dispensation that emerged in 1994
is an anti-thesis to the violent colonial-apartheid system
which was underpinned by class exploitation, racism, and
sexism. This evil system spanned for a period of over 3
centuries and blacks in general and Africans in particular
were subjected to it.
Franz Fanon in The wretched of the earth argues that human
beings who are not considered as such by the colonizer shall
not be bound by principles that apply to humanity. So the high
levels of violence we see in our society are the remnants of
the colonial-apartheid system.
The Minister of Police on the 3rd of June 2022 presented the
South African crime statistics of the last term from January
2022 to March 2022 and we have witnessed an increase in the
murder cases and other violent crimes. This is both in the
form of male-on-male violence and gender-based violence.
The youth of our country must lead a discourse which will
dissect this problem in their discussions, grapple with root
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causes and come up with programmes that will address these
social ills.
The South African Police Services, SAPS, in its report on the
8th of June 2022 said that alcohol was a contributing factor
in about 280 cases of murder, 347 of attempted murder and more
than 5 671 cases of gender-based violence.
We are convinced that part of the solutions to this fight
against the culture of violence and materialism that has
become so crass in our society and captured our young people.
It is this culture which glorifies criminality, opulence and
sexually explicit content which wins our youth over to alcohol
and substance abuse. The youth must unite across all races,
classes and gender orientation to fight against crime.
Practically they must be lobbied to participate in the
forefront of community policing forums, education and
awareness campaigns as well as all other relevant platforms
that mobilize society in the fight against crime.
The ANC calls for the state to deepen the transformation
agenda and address the discrimination and marginalization of
women in the mainstream economy. We must intensify on engaging
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all stakeholders in emphasizing the role that women play in
our families, communities, economic activities and all facets
of life.
The starting point should be the implementation of the
National Strategic Plan on GBVF, gender based violence and
femicide. The youth must also reject backward patriarchal
tendencies which undermine and demean women in their social
circles.
We have gone past the days where the guy code will be used as
an excuse to conceal GBV when it is committed by our friends,
family members, and even political allies.
The current social ills of crime and GBVF are also indicative
of that we have not effectively utilized arts, culture, and
sports as forms of soft power to mobilize the youth and the
rest of society to ideologically reject unbecoming tendencies
which undermine our social cohesion.
The ANC calls for the state and the rest of society to view
these not just as sources of entertainment and leisure but
also as instruments of social transformation which can
strengthen our social fabric. We want to see more of youth
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participating in sports, arts, and cultural activities that
will create awareness on GBVF and other social ills
confronting the youth.
In conclusion hon Chairperson, we must say it here and today
before it happens that we are sitting on a time bomb if we
cannot resolve the youth unemployment, we will destroy
everything else that we stand for as a country.
Comrade Chief Whip of the Council, our people will not only
vote for the mighty ANC because the past but they must do so
because of the things that we are doing today ... [Inaudible.]
... realities of our people ... constitutes a critical
...[Inaudible.] ... I said before this House that the
developmental state like ours, they are enlist direct and it
is open to a persuasion if it is in the best interest of our
country.
Hon House Chairperson of the Council, we urge you and the
entire Sixth Administration and persuading it as the youth of
2022 and are calling on you to declare the national state of
disaster on youth unemployment. Thank you very much.
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Mr K I MSHENGU (KwaZulu-Natal): Thank you so much, hon House
Chair, to promote sustainable livelihoods and resilience of
young people in South Africa for the better tomorrow, young
people must be given opportunities beyond hollow speeches and
motivations.
To be youth is a transitional stage and therefore anything
that must accrue to young people must accrue to them
immediately. They must be given these opportunities now, and
not tomorrow.
As we draw strengths from the heroic generation of 1976, it is
also incumbent upon young people to be active architects of
what they want to become now and in future. We stand on the
wise counsel by the great Oliver Tambo when said:
The children of any nation are its future. A country, a
movement, a person that does not value its youth and
children does not deserve its future.
In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, it is all hands on deck to
create space and opportunities for young people to thrive, and
that is happening now. I want to give some highlights of what
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we are doing as the province to create these opportunities now
for young people to thrive.
We are now in the 3rd year of the Youth Business Fund which is
aimed at helping young people to start and grow their
businesses. The contribution of government in this fund
continues to rise from the initial R50 million to R100 million
now in 2022-23 financial year. This fund has benefitted 53
young people from across all walks of life who have in turn
created over 500 job opportunities.
Through Operation Vula Fund, which is a fund created to
deliberately empower historically disadvantaged people, 42% of
businesses that have benefitted are owned by young people of
35 years and below. For this financial year, the Operation
Vula Fund is expected to lead into a creation of no less than
10 800 job opportunities in which the majority will accrue to
young people.
In line with the National Youth Policy, the Department of
Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs has
developed the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Empowerment Strategy 2030,
which is anchored on five strategic pillars, namely:
Enterprise development, employment creation, training and
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skills development, information dissemination as well as
institutional development.
Through the Department of Transport, we are championing a
radical socioeconomic programmed called Integrated Growth
Unity and Liberation of Africans. Yet another programme that
is aimed at deliberately empowering the historical
disadvantaged, particularly young people. The majority of
beneficiaries in this programme are youth-owned enterprises.
Majority of them have gradually developed to higher grades
within the Construction Industry Development Board, CIDB,
database.
Through this programme, in the last financial year, the
department awarded contracts to the value of R932 million to
youth-owned entities. These were generated out of 1 501
contracts awarded by the department. This was also through
subcontracting in major projects and has created job
opportunities and skills development for young people.
In addition, the Department of Transport is embarking on a
Contractor Development Model, which will assist incubating
emerging contractors to develop business skills and to grow
within the sector.
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Through various initiatives of programme such as Zibambele,
again within the Department of Transport in our province,
62 000 jobs have been created. Whilst the majority will be
going to women headed households, young people will also be
major beneficiaries. In addition, the department has
identified a further R22 million through internal processes to
employ 11 000 young people who will participate in youth
targeted programmes. This will be done to achieve the target
set out in the provincial government that by the end of this
year, all departments cumulatively must have created 100 000
jobs, which are aimed at empowering young people. This is
happening under the programme led by the premier called
Operation Sukuma 10 000.
The Department of Transport also commenced with implementing
the second phase of the Vukayibambe Routine Road Maintenance
Programme where 5 600 young people were employed in various
districts throughout the province. This is an expansion of the
programme from the previous achievement of 3 200 young people
employed in the first phase. The type of work performed
includes construction of road works and routine road
maintenance.
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Through the programme of the Presidential Youth Employment
Intervention, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education
appointed 67 000 young people on contract posts of educator
assistants, general school assistants and reading champions.
This is what we mean when we say young people must be given
opportunities, and they must be given now.
As we expand these opportunities, we call upon the youths of
our country to defy the corrosive value system that one of our
leading intellectuals in our country spoke about, Joel
Netshitenzhe, when he said:
Within the youth, beyond direct incidents of corruption,
there is a matter of the value system and outlook, which
is infused with celebrity culture. Standing in the eyes
of peers, possibilities of entering intimate
relationships and followership on social media. All this
and more, seem to increasingly to depend on and in turn
feed that celebrity status, with money and decadent
behaviour at the centre of it. The greatest danger is
that young people are emerging into positions of
responsibility within the context of a value system that
may be so corrosive of humanism and selflessness that
fundamental social transformation demands.
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Young people must use these opportunities to create wealth
which they can pass onto many generations to come. Thank you
so much, hon Chair.
Ms T A MORAKA (Limpopo): House Chairperson, permanent
delegates of the National Council of Provinces, special
delegates that are joining us in this virtual platform,
Ministers who are here, Deputy Ministers who are here with us,
hon MECs from various provinces who are also partaking in this
important debate, ladies, gentlemen, comrades and friends,
good evening. It is indeed a great pleasure to partake in this
debate in the month of June which is a very historic month in
our political calendar where a lot of historic events occurred
against what the unjust apartheid regime was trying to do with
the intention to sideline the African black majority members
of the society from achieving certain goals in life. We take
it this colossal moment to remember the resilience of the
youth of 1976 who took it upon themselves to confront the
brutal apartheid government that wanted to introduce Afrikaans
as the only medium of instruction in our public schools. I’m
speaking here about young lions like Tsietsi Mashinini, Hector
Petersen, Billy Masetlha, Khotso Seatlholo, Antoinette Sithole,
Mxoliisi Mvobo, Tebogo Mafole, just to mention a few.
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The 1976 generation knew exactly what they were faced with,
and they understood exactly how the use of Afrikaans as the
only medium of communication in schools was going to impact
negatively on their future academically and also in the future
of other generations that are to come towards the noble call
of attainment of education by all the young people of South
Africa as a whole.
The quest for youth’s inclusion in South African political
affairs has continue to shape the country’s political
landscape. Young people’s political participation and access
to socioeconomic development opportunities remain an important
call in Africa as youth people have been acknowledged for
their creative skills and pioneering ideas across the
continent and the entire glob. There is a need to empower the
youth politically so that they can contribute to the social
and economic development of our country. We are making this
clarion call to all the leaders within our various political
formations that we have in the country to start embracing
young people even in positions of leadership so that they van
actively actively involved in political affairs particularly
in the decision-making un every process that process that the
country is embarking on.
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It is high time that we start to perceive the young people as
key agents of socioeconomic development and political movers
of our society. Young people are an integral part of our
democracy as OR Tambo once said, and I quote:
Any country, any movement or a society that does not take
care of its young people or children, it does not deserve
the future.
I am pleased to report here to this august House that the
Limpopo provincial government has appointed a fully-fledged
youth directorate that is based in the Office Of The Premier
which is working closely with the National Youth Development
Agency in championing youth development programmes within the
provincial government departments and also in the private
sector with the ultimate aim of uplifting the lives of our
young people in the province.
According to the study on the 2019 general elections that
focus on socioeconomic performance and voter apathy amongst
our young people, it revealed that Centre for Social
Development in Africa, at the University of Johannesburg in
2019, young South Africans are only concerned about their
socioeconomic wellbeing above their democratic rights. In
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simply words, we want to emphasise that most of our young
people believe that it is more important for the country to
cater for their needs and wants than to vote for a political
party that they believe in that particular regard. This is a
worrying trend that indicates a loss of faith in our young
people on the democracy that we have as a country. Placing
socioeconomic rights above democratic rights is understandable
given the multiple struggles that young people face. Twenty-
eight years since the dawn of our democracy the country is
still arguably the most unequal as compared to the rest of
other countries in the world. The most recent workforce
figures show that 55,2% joblessness rate among the country’s
young people - almost twice the general national unemployment
rate of 27,6% affects mostly our young people wherein youth
are grappling with the well-documented failings of the
education system which has left many school leavers unprepared
to enter into the tertiary education in order for them to
pursue a career path in entrepreneurship space.
The particularly low level of skills among young people
constrains their ability to enter the labour market when they
are presented to them. I am going to make a clarion call to
all our various government departments in this debate and also
those that are not here to start creating an enabling
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environment for our young people to can be able to create jobs
for other young people as compared to the issue that young
people must continue to be job seekers. I think we ned to
change that mind set to create an environment where our young
people are job creators themselves so that we avoid a
situation where they go around seeking for jobs.
Hon Chair, the President of the Republic of South Africa, the
only CIC, Commander-in-Chief, that we have in the country,
President, President Cyril Ramaphosa, during his ...
[Interjections.]
Ms M O MOKAUSE: Our president is the only CIC. President
Malema is the only CIC.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Order! Order, hon
members. Order!
Ms M O MOKAUSE: ... puts money in the sofas. Not that one who
stuffs money in the sofas.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Hon Mokause, order!
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Ms T A MORAKA (Limpopo): Chair, can I be protected.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): You are protected, MEC.
Ms T A MORAKA (Limpopo): The President of the Republic of
South Africa, President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, the only
Commander-in–Chief in the country of South Africa, during his
response to the recent Budget Speech said, and I quote:
South Africa’s youth who are suffering most from
unemployment and exclusion are going to be the ones that
are added to the one million beneficiaries of the
employment stimulus programme, amongst 84% of those that
are benefiting from that programme are young people.
It is high time that we need to tell the truth and not claim
easy victories. Young people in this country are going to be
benefiting from these initiatives that are reported to the
public by our honourable President.
He said that young people are also expected to be the primary
beneficiaries of our Presidential Youth Employment
interventions and the social employment fund. I believe that
all of us let us make sure that we believe in the words that
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were echoed by our own sitting President, Tata Cyril
Ramaphosa.
Despite all these challenges that young people continue to
face today, other young people continue to make us proud. I am
speaking here about the one and only son of the soil of
Limpopo Master KG who went all out and represented us in the
global space and made the whole globe to dance to the
Jerusalem song that has almost reach 500 million views on
YouTube where he Nomcebo Zikode.
I am also speaking here about the Ndlovu Youth Choir, all the
way from the province of Limpopo that went all the way to the
America’s Got Talent and made it to the finals of that
particular competition. They have also toured countries such
as the UK, Switzerland, Netherlands and many other countries
throughout the world showcasing their God-given talent.
In conclusion, there is a need for us as a democracy to make
sure that we create enabling environment for our young people
to thrive politically and also in entrepreneurial space. I
want to take this opportunity and quote one of our profound
philosophers that we have, Amílcar Cabral when he said, and I
quote:
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Always bear in mind that the people are not fighting for
ideas, for the things in anyone's head. They are fighting
to win material benefits, to live better and in peace, to
see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of
their children.
I close in that manner, hon House Chairperson, and say to you,
let us live in the words of our philosopher Amílcar Cabral and
make sure that we put young people at the centre stage of our
planning process at the level of our government and also at
the level of the private sector.
Xitsonga:
Ha khensa.
Tshiven?a:
Ro livhuwa.
Sepedi:
Ke a leboga.
Afrikaans:
Baie dankie
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Mr S F DU TOIT: Chairperson, On Wednesday, 16 June 1976,
between ten and twenty thousand young, frustrated Black people
took to the streets to protest against the governments’
decision to teach African high school students in both
Afrikaans and English as languages of teaching and learning.
Police were taunted, rocks were thrown, teargas and live
ammunition fired and there were casualties. An unfortunate and
tragic event.
Minister Lusufi is however not the unblemished champion of the
youth he purports himself to be. He is currently forcing the
so-called colonial language to be the main education medium,
depriving all from getting mother-tongue education. How is
this different from the 1976 injustice?
Think about it. It is nothing else than blatant discrimination
against all our indigenous languages.
What are the challenges that youth in general encounter today,
15 June 2022?
Afrikaans:
Watter uitdagings staar vandag se jeug in die gesig? In die
algemeen: werkloosheid, groeiende armoede, onsekerheid oor die
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toekoms, geweldpleging, misleiding en die onderliggende vrees
vir dit wat die dag van môre gaan inhou.
Watter uitdagings staar die jeug in minderheidsgroepe in die
gesig? Wit en bruin jeug ... aangesien die debat in die Huis,
vandag ongelukkig ’n kleur van sy eie gekry het. ’n Debat waar
die rowe van van haat en verwyt oopgekrap word om verdeeltheid
te saai, eerder as om samehorigheid te skep. Waar letsels
geskep word, eerder as om na inisiatiewe te kyk hoe om die
jeug – alle jeug – by te staan, te bemagtig en op te hef.
Dankie aan hierdie jeug wat met jul kop omhoog, aanhou en
deurdruk! Dankie, aan die jeug wat onverpoos voortbeur om ’n
sukses van jul lewens te maak – of jul tersiëre
studiegeleenthede kry of nie.
Suid-Afrika, ek is trots op jong vroue en manne wat met
selfvertroue en hoop op God gerig, inisiatief neem en self ’n
toekoms skep, ten spyte van die regering se teenstand en
ekonomiese uitsluiting! Daar is jeug wat studierigtings en
beroepskeuses met sukses verander het, aangesien hul volgens
die regering te wit is om die kwota te vul.
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Dit is tog so maklik om die skandvlek van vals beskuldigings
te aanvaar as dit vir meer as 28 jaar teen jou, jou ouers en
jou voorouers uitgeroep word.
Nee, ons sal dit nie toelaat nie! Ons sal dit nie aanvaar nie!
Ons onthou vandag ook elke kind, jong man en vrou wat hul
lewens as gevolg van plaasaanvalle, geweld en misdaad verloor
het. Ons rou saam met julle oor jul drome en geleenthede wat
julle ontneem is: verjaarsdae, Kersfees en die rugby-finaal,
korfbal, skaak en die matriek-afskeid, ’n sprokies-troue, en
’n vervulde lewe waar drome verwesenlik kon word. Julle het
die duurste prys betaal!
English:
We will not accept the slanderous lies and accusations which
are flung in our direction on a daily basis! Today’s youth are
not to blame for the substandard education system, the stolen
opportunities and the youth unemployment rate.
Afrikaans:
Ongelukkig word die wit en bruin jeug daagliks blootgestel aan
verwerping en beskuldigings.
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Gelukkig kyk hierdie jeug terug na ’n kleurvolle geskiedenis,
vol hartseer en vreugde, en hulle bou daarop. Hierdie ge-
ektiketeerde jeug bewys die teendeel. Hierdie jeug behou die
morele hoë grond. In plaas van geweldadige protes in die
strate, bly hul doelgerig en gefokus!
Dankie aan jou, of jy nou ’n Jan, Pieter, Francois, Devon,
Marli, Joan of Nikita is – gewone mense, nie slagoffers nie.
[Tussenwerpsels.]
Nee, ons sal nie die regering se haatlike etiket dra nie.
Hierdie jeug voel die vuur in die kombuis. Hulle is nie naief
nie. Hulle het nie ’n raskaart om tot hul voordeel te speel
nie. Dit is buitendien nie in hul aard nie!
Jy – Afrikanerjeug – ge-etiketeerde jeug. Jy is nie ’n
slagoffer nie; jy is ’n oorwinnaar! ’n Stryder! ’n
Bittereinder! Jy is innoverend! Jy is bekwaam! Jy is nederig
maar nie minderwaardig nie!
Floreer met respek, behou volkstrots en bly beginselvas.
Dankie.
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Ms M O MOKAUSE: Chairperson, I rise on a point of order.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Yes, hon Mokause?
Ms M O MOKAUSE: Chairperson, we don’t know whether we are
being insulted here in Afrikaans.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): No...
Ms M O MOKAUSE: [Inaudible.] We don’t even have ...
[Inaudible.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Hon Mokause, there is
interpretation.
Ms M O MOKAUSE: [Inaudible.] ... you people are just looking
at people insulting us ... [Inaudible.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Hon Mokause, there is
interpretation. Afrikaans is an official South African
language.
Mr R I ALLEN (Western Cape): Chairperson, I trust that I am
audible?
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The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Yes, you are, hon
Allen.
Mr R I ALLEN (Western Cape): Hon Chairperson, hon MECs, hon
members, Franklin D Roosevelt once said, “We cannot always
build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for
the future.”
This is a profound statement and one that places an indictment
on all of us across South Africa.
The reality is that, as a nation, we are failing the very
foundation of this country – and that foundation is our young
people. It is on this foundation that we should be building
our country. It is on this foundation that we should be
building our future. It is this foundation that we should be
prioritising. Any builder will tell you that without a good
and solid foundation, you will never be able to keep a
building standing upright. The slightest wind would
immediately disintegrate that structure.
But, as we participate today in this important debate, pre-
empting tomorrow’s activities, we must ask ourselves, how do
we achieve that, when our young people are not being
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strengthened for that future? How do we achieve that when in
fact our youth are being disempowered, do not have access to
skills development opportunities, and suffer many other
deficiencies?
It is therefore not surprising that – as pointed out by the
Statistician-General in the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for
the first quarter of 2022 – 4,7 million of our young people
across the country are unemployed. The building blocks of our
future are unemployed.
What does this lead to? It leads to a scenario with which we
are all too familiar. But I will elaborate.
If this House is okay with being responsible for our youth
losing hope and belief, then I do not wish to associate myself
with it. If any of those present in this debate today are okay
with being responsible for disenfranchising our youth, I
distance myself from them. Anyone who seeks to render our
youth hopeless should be dismissed with the contempt that
their actions deserve.
For that reason, I can boldly state today that the entire
Western Cape government rejects anything and anyone whose aim
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it is to disempower and mislead our young people –
particularly since they are the foundation upon which the
future of our country should be built.
For this and many other reasons, the Western Cape Department
of Police Oversight and Community Safety will, during this
financial year, invest over R60 million in youth development
and youth resilience. This will ensure that 2 160 young people
will have the opportunity to be empowered in this province.
The development and overall empowerment of our young people is
what we believe in, in this province. This is why, as far back
as the year 2000, we launched our Chrysalis Academy which is
situated in the Tokai area. This academy runs a three-month
residential programme for youth aged 18 to 25 from across the
Western Cape. This programme seeks to ensure personal mastery,
greater resilience, an enhanced skills set and access to a
range of further learning opportunities, including a 12-month
work placement to acquire work experience.
This is empowerment with opportunity.
Along with the various programmes during the various phases
over the three months, young people are provided with both
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accredited and non-accredited skills modules, which, amongst
others, includes office administration, hairdressing,
carpentry, electrical, and peace officer training.
Chrysalis also focusses quite strongly on therapeutic care and
psychosocial support to vulnerable young females, as a
preventative measure as part of our gender-based violence
programmes.
The youth of this province should know that there is real
hope. They do not have to feel neglected or rejected – not in
the Western Cape. We have seen the impact and the successes.
We will continue to build on that.
Six-hundred young people will form part of the Chrysalis
programme for this year. Flowing from Chrysalis Academy is our
Youth Hubs Peer Leaders and Mentorship programme, which will
be implemented in 18 hotspots – our least-safe communities
across the province. The 18 areas are made up of 13 metro and
5 non-metro areas. We have committed over R4 million toward
community-based youth development and training programmes.
This ties in directly with the Western Cape Safety Plan, as
the programme is currently active in eight metro areas in the
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province, namely, Nyanga, Philippi East, Kraaifontein, Bishop
Lavis, Steenberg, Elsies River, Mitchell’s Plain and Atlantis.
The establishment of these hubs focuses on the Youth Hub
Ambassador being the first point of contact to graduates to
provide ongoing support to youth in their communities.
Whenever any one person gets an opportunity, we capacitate
that person to also help and assist others to also grab hold
of opportunities. That is action. That is where we are saying
we are determined to ensure that the future of our country is
looked after. Ultimately, they are not only the leaders of
tomorrow; they are also already leaders in their respective
spheres in which they find themselves.
The Youth Hub Ambassadors receives support and ongoing
training to boost their capacity. Many in this House would be
aware that Nyanga has been the murder capital of our country
for more than 10 years. I am delighted to say today that this
is no longer the case for the past financial year. In fact,
through our Lifestyle Education for Activity Program, LEAP,
and youth interventions, for the first time in its history,
the murder rate in Nyanga decreased every quarter for the
entire 2021-22 financial year.
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The LEAP programme in partnership with the City of Cape Town
shows that the Western Cape government, in partnership with
the City of Cape Town, has stepped in where national
government has failed to do so.
All Youth Hub Ambassadors and graduates of the Chrysalis
Academy are encouraged to support the work of the Area Based
Teams. These teams adopt a whole-of-government and a whole-of-
society approach so as to deal with challenges in a particular
area in an holistic manner. Since the implementation of the
programme, young people are encouraged to become active
citizens of positive change in their communities. This is
achieved by youth becoming actively involved in a range of
community service activities, such as forming part of the
neighbourhood watches – of which there are 16 000 in our
country. We actively support the neighbourhood watches in the
province, capacitate them, and fund them, so that they can be
the ears and eyes on the ground. We do know that an active
citizenry leads to safer communities. Young people are key to
the success of that approach.
We also help and encourage our youth to becoming actively
involved in the SAPS Youth Desk, street clean-ups, hosting
sporting activities for youth, painting murals with positive
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messages, and linking unemployed youth to learning and
employment opportunities for growth and development.
It is envisaged that, over the financial year, the programme
will be expanded ten other areas in the metro and rural parts
of the province.
I think we can all agree that, if we invest in our youth, if
we strengthen the foundation, and if we build for the future,
then these are the types of results that we will start seeing
in our communities.
The Western Cape does not pay lip service to the empowerment
and development of our youth. All Chrysalis graduates that
successfully complete the training programmes are provided
with an internship opportunity. These are Expanded Public
Works Programme, EPWP, internship opportunities which aim to
boost young people through exposure to on-the-job training,
career pathing, mentorship support, and playing an active role
in their communities.
With a budget of just over R26 million, we will create
approximately 1 000 EPWP youth internship opportunities.
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I’d like to state that the Western Cape is committed to
working with any stakeholder, public or private, who has the
best interest of the youth at heart. We have a responsibility
to ensure our youth are able to enjoy the many sacrifices made
by the youth of 1976.
In conclusion, I repeat, we cannot always build the future for
our young people, but we can build our young people for the
future. That is exactly what we are doing in the Western Cape.
Thank you.
Mr N M HADEBE: Hon Chairperson and hon members, the IFP,
together with the IFP Youth Brigade, commemorates the youth
who sacrificed their lives during the Soweto uprising in 1976.
We salute those who acted fearlessly in pursuit of the values
of human dignity, the fight for equality and the right to
quality education.
Much like the youth of 1976, many who are amongst us here in
this House know very well what it takes to move a generation
forward. The youth of this generation also know very well what
it takes to place their issues on the agenda. The young people
of our country have tried all avenues to get a seat at the
table. The saying goes, nothing about us without us.
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If passed in the National Assembly, the IFP’s Employment
Services Amendment Bill will come before this House to be
passed. We strongly believe that this Private Members Bill
truly provides a real solution to youth unemployment. Many in
this House are aware of the increase in the number of foreign
nationals working in unskilled and low-skilled occupational
levels. These jobs are the entry-level jobs our youth require
to gain experience and to lift themselves out of poverty. It
is a starting point. Should we adopt this Bill in the National
Assembly and the NCOP, Members of Parliament will send a clear
message to the youth of our country that we will prioritise
the employment of South African citizens that are ready,
willing and capable to work.
Policy development and the drafting of legislation mean very
little if there is no political will to implement it. Let us
not pay this Youth debate with more lip service. Let us show
the young people of this country that we as members of this
House representing all provinces are standing ready to help
this generation move forward. This is how we can lead them in
showing what it takes to move mountains, to cut red tape and
to unlock their potential through job opportunities.
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We must focus on how our rural youth, who face daily choices
such as going to school and home hungry or looking for work or
resorting to drugs for quick fixes, are guided towards
constructive employment programmes. Let us get our youth in
jobs now. This is the only way that we can build a better
tomorrow. I thank you.
Mr O J MOKAE (Northern Cape): Hon House Chair, Council members
of the NCOP, fellow young people of South Africa, ladies and
gentlemen, as we commemorate Youth Day, I dedicate this debate
to 26-year-old Thabang van Staden, a young man from Ivory Park
in Kimberley, in the Sol Plaatje municipal area in the
Northern Cape, who is believed to have committed suicide just
last week because he was desperate for work;
a young man whose economic circumstances are believed to have
contributed towards his mental state and ultimately the
motivation to end his life.
How unfortunate to be a young person at a time. According to
Statistics SA, youth unemployment has broken a world record at
6,5%. South Africa’s burgeoning youth unemployment rate has
long been proclaimed as a national crisis. While youth
unemployment in South Africa continues to soar, where two
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thirds of young people do not have job opportunities or
economic inclusion, their chances in life grow dim. Our youth
are not free when two in three youths cannot find jobs.
This debate takes place under the theme, Promoting sustainable
livelihood and resilience of young people in South Africa for
a better tomorrow. I would like to remind this session that
young people are not the future. We are the present. Youth is
now! However, it does not help when the presiding officer of
this very House, Hon Masondo, just last week at the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Africa region
conference in Sierra Leone, bemoaned the role of young people
in today’s society, be it in politics or in business, citing
their inept ... and lack of experience. His comments made me
realise that we are still far away from the true emancipation
of young people and the true emancipation from the shackles of
poverty, inequality and joblessness.
There is a lack in investment of youth opportunities from
government’s side. There is a plethora of institutions and
entities on our doorstep that can be capacitated to support
young people but we have a severe lack of interest from our
state. How many more young people have to demonstrate their
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desperation for economic inclusivity? How many more youth have
to die before they are born?
The National Youth Development Agency should rather just be
scrapped. It has failed to be a major contributor to job
opportunities and the upskilling of young people in the
Northern Cape. There needs to be real-time investment and
support for young entrepreneurs, even in the informal economy.
We know that the informal economy plays a major role in
addressing the socioeconomic issues facing many nations around
the world. In South Africa we see them through car washes,
shisanyamas [barbecues], hair salons, fruit and vegetable, and
fast-food stalls, amongst others. Research indicates that in
South Africa alone, the informal sector accounts for 15 to 17%
of total employment and about 5,2% of the country’s gross
domestic product, GDP. Yet, very little attention is given to
how informal sector entrepreneurship shapes individual
entrepreneurial orientation and the emergence of
entrepreneurial leadership, vice versa.
The capacity of our libraries needs to be intensified with
functional internet access to assist young job seekers with
online job applications and interviews. There is so much that
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can be offered to our desperate youth, but we lack the will to
assist.
The UN International Children's Emergency Fund, Unicef's, The
State of the World's Children 2017: Children in a Digital
World report reveals that one in three internet users is
younger than 18 years and 71% ... who are online are between
the ages of 15 to 24, making them the most connected age group
worldwide. However, access to internet facilities creates a
barrier for growth and development, particularly in a province
such as the Northern Cape. In my 2020 youth debate in this
very same House, I presented a proposal as commissioned by the
DA Youth to this government to look at offering about
500 megabytes to destitute young people for free to enable
them to look for economic opportunities on the internet.
Nothing came from it, not even a response, hon House Chair.
We cannot continue talking about the youth as if they are not
in the room, as if they don’t exist. We cannot expect them to
be okay with standing in a line for hours to only be told that
the system is off line when applying for or receiving the
R350 Social Relief of Distress grant. For how much longer is
the youth going to struggle under an uncaring and unforgiving
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government? The government has long lost its opportunity to
grow the economy of this country.
The Western Cape is already governed by these promises and
they have turned into reality, and it is time that the DA’s
promises are moved to the rest of South Africa. We will create
youth opportunity centres throughout the country, that
provides information, advice and free internet to job seekers.
This is the only government that can grow small businesses and
create opportunities for them. We do not believe in young
vulnerable people paying for jobs with their bodies or hard-
earned cash, to be left destitute and jobless. We will also
ensure that there is no political interference in the
allocation of opportunities to beneficiaries, the Expanded
Public Works Programme, EPWP, or not. This is the case in
point in our province. I am saying that it is time that this
government, under the leadership of Rre Matamela, realises
that poverty knows no politics and neither does hunger. Our
people are shouting cries of desperation for this government
to provide opportunities and equality for all.
The only remedy to a dying people is to provide diverse
resilient leadership and that is what we are proposing. South
Africa can only be better tomorrow when our youth are enabled
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through training, employment, education and business
opportunities. I thank you, hon House Chair.
Mr Z MKIVA: Hon house Chair, good evening to you and good
evening to the members of this House. And allow me once again
to greet our special guests, the Members of Executive Council,
MECs, that come from all the provinces of our country.
Chairperson, we gather today on the eve of the youth
celebrations and the theme for this year is Promoting
sustainable livelihoods and resilience of young people in
South Africa for a better tomorrow.
But the topic today is really centred around government
interventions aimed at addressing the plight of young people
in our country and I will limit my communicare exactly to
that.
IsiXhosa:
Kodwa ndiyafuna ukuthi, kuyabonakala ukuba apha kule Ndlu
siyangqinelana ngenxaxheba ethe yadlalwa ngabantu abatsha
kweli lizwe. Ndiyavuya nokubona imibutho eyayime kwela cala
lingaphesheya ngela xesha sasisilwela inkululeko, ingqina
isithi iyavuma ukuba inxaxheba yolutsha ithathe igxathu
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eliphezulu, ekunkcenkcesheleni indlela eya enkululekweni kweli
lizwe. Iyavuyisa ke loo nto.
Ndifuna ukuthi, masahlule phakathi kwephupha namampunge.
Amaphupha olutsha lowe-1976 ayesithi, inkululeko xa sifikelele
kuyo, masiyithathe siyise kwindawo yayo yokugqibela
ekukuqinisekisa ukuba, nobutyebi beli lizwe bubuyela
kubanikazi babo.
Ndiyafuna ke ukutsho ukuba, nalo kaMokae ugqiba kuthetha apha,
angabhibhidli nje amazinyo, kuba kumnandi ukuthetha kodwa
kunzima ukwenza. Kweli phondo leNtshona Kapa, le nto
ayithethatyo ayingqinelani nezinto abazenzayo, kuba bona benza
isahlulelo ngendlela abajonga ngayo abantu. Xa ulijongile ela
phondo, uyabona ukuba ...
English:
... in their minds poverty is something that is natural, it is
not a creation of a system which pretty much they employ in
their province when they mainstream their own administration.
However, they must draw lessons from the national perspective
so that they don’t see themselves as a country within a
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country but as a province within a unitary state, we are not a
federal republic here.
So, the programmes which are mainstreamed by the national
government, they ought to take a cue from there so that even
in their own provincial cabinet we can see young people, as
you can see that in all other eight provinces they young
people that were speaking here, even though they about the age
of 35 they are still youthful and very zealous; but it lacks
in the provincial cabinet of the Western Cape.
As I rise to contribute towards this important debate which is
to honour and pay tribute to the gallant youth of 1976 who
risked their own lives for the realisation of a transformed
South Africa, allow me to borrow words from the ANC’s Ready to
Govern document which states the following:
Society has a responsibility to develop and nurture its
youth, to allow them to reach their full potential in
order to make a meaningful contribution as individuals
and as members of society. Their resourcefulness,
energy and enthusiasm must be harnessed to allow them
to play their meaningful role in our country.
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The blood that was shed by the youth of 1976 was not in vein.
The uprising profoundly changed the socio-political landscape
in South Africa.
As the current generation of young people confronts the
staggering levels of unemployment, deepening poverty and
widening inequality further exacerbated by the COVID-19
pandemic, our government needs to put more impetus into
ensuring that young people are located at the centre of our
economic recovery.
As articulated in government’s economic reconstruction and
recovery plan, Small Micro and Medium Enterprises, SMMEs, run
by young people, women and persons with disability ought to
play a significant role in the delivery of the infrastructure
in order to necessitate and to catalyse economic recovery and
reconstruction.
Various government departments are encouraging and supporting
them to form cooperatives in key economic sectors and
prioritizing extending access to funding for initiatives to
drive the reconstruction and recovery of the South African
economy.
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As part of building the skills base required for our changing
economy, young people have been provided with tools and
training to enable them to access online learning and economic
opportunities through various government departments and
entities.
The ANC government, through a number of interventions, aims to
ensure that the empowerment of our youth is enhanced so as to
foster competitiveness and resilience.
The ANC welcomes the interventions made through the
Presidential Employment Stimulus. Over 870 000 work
opportunities have been provided and 84% of the participants
were young people and 62% of them women.
Many of these young people have been placed in schools as
education assistants and Home Affairs has recently recruited
unemployed young people across the country for the
digitisation of paper records, thus enhancing their skills and
contributing to the modernisation of citizen services.
Currently, the South African Police has opened up for the
application of entry level police trainees for persons between
the ages of 18 and 30 years.
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While we welcome the interventions of government to facilitate
skills development and training opportunities through the
National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa, NEMISA,
and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies
amongst others, where training is directly linked to
employment in key growth sectors of the economy.
The ANC once more calls on private sector companies in all
sectors of the economy to drop work experience as a
requirement for employment in order to be able to absorb many
of our young people. Today, many graduates from our
universities are struggling to find employment because they do
not meet the minimum requirements pertaining to work
experience.
Government’s reconstruction and recovery plan has identified
that social compacting will be a key enabler in building a
more capable and developmental state in the post the COVID-19
period. In this regard, government is working hard to conclude
negotiations with the social partners in order to respond to
the President’s commitment made during the state of the nation
address earlier this year.
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Various incentive schemes have been provided by our government
to lobby the private sector behind employment and skills
development of unemployed young people of our country. The
President has committed that the Social Employment Fund will
create a further 50 000 work opportunities using the
capability of organisations beyond government in areas such as
urban agriculture, early childhood development, public art and
tackling gender-based violence.
The 50 000 participants will be recruited for the revitalised
National Youth Service, of which more than 7 000 have already
started work. While these initiatives give young people of
South Africa hope, it is worth acknowledging that more still
needs to be done.
We must call on the private sector to support efforts of our
government by taking up the incentive and giving young people
the necessary opportunities.
Over the next three years the ANC government has committed
itself to supporting the emergence of a new generation of
black industrialists, creating a conducive environment for the
creation of mass employment and transforming the economy.
R25 billion has been set aside for this wok which is aimed at
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uplifting and supporting black, women, youth and worker-owned
companies.
Amidst the implacable devastation brought about by the advent
of COVID-19 in our economy, young people of South Africa have
truly embraced the concepts of self-determination and
resilience. They have been able to explore unconventional
start-up enterprises so that they are able to provide for
themselves and their families. Some of these include making
use of digitisation, social media and various online platforms
to market or sell goods and services.
The National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, database has also
assisted some young people to get employment, such as Sibusiso
Mahlaba, a 21-year-old from Soweto in Gauteng who was able to
find employment by registering in the NYDA database.
A 29-year-old from Limpopo named Rendani Mutheiwana was able
to launch her own orthotics and prosthetics business at the
height of COVID-19 with the help of the National Youth
Development Agency. Rendani completed the NYDA’s short
business management training course and then applied for
funding, which she received with an additional website voucher
containing a 12-month maintenance contract.
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In KwaZulu-Natal a young person aged 34 by the name of
Nakhokonke Mngadi, was able to secure funding from the
provincial Department of Economic Development, Tourism and
Environment Affairs’ Operation Vula Business Fund and from the
National Youth Development Agency to adequately run his
business of selling purified water.
This young person identified the need for cleaner drinking
water in the area of Richards Bay and has since been assisted
with water softener to remove harmful minerals and some metals
from water to make it safe to drink as well as a fridge
amongst other things.
Young people of South Africa, we would like to encourage you
to register your information through the NYDA website or visit
one of their 17 branches for more assistance.
The SAYouth.mobi is also a free online platform where one can
register their information to access opportunities for
funding.
The ANC recognises the importance of entrepreneurship, skills
development and the mainstreaming of the youth into all the
sectors of the economy to mitigate the high levels of
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unemployment. That is why government is advancing the
socioeconomic empowerment of the youth through the review of
the National Youth Policy and the National Youth Development
Agency Amendment Bill to prioritise interventions that support
skills developments, learnership programmes and the support of
young entrepreneurs in the country.
As themed in the President’s state of the nation address
earlier this year, our rebuilding efforts should leave no one
behind, in particular the youth. The Youth should be the
drivers of our economic recovery. They should be the torch
bearers and they should be in the frontline as pioneers who
come up with fresh ideas on how to deal with the challenges of
the day in a post covid South Africa.
Statistics have revealed that graduates are less likely to be
unemployed when compared to youth that do not have tertiary
education or developed skills. The ANC government is driving
the skills revolution by opening up the doors of learning to
young people coming from across the disadvantaged homes.
Since the 1994 democratic breakthrough, government has
strengthened measures that have improved access to higher
education. Government has provided R149 billion towards
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National Student Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS, to support
millions of students to access higher education.
Government continues to support graduates and youth through
its learnerships and internships programmes. Annually,
government provides a number of internships to graduates to
provide them with on-the-job training and learnership
programmes to foster skills development. These apprenticeship
programmes cover all sectors of the economy. These are
initiatives by government to absorb young people into active
participation in the economy.
Once again, we appeal to the companies, large and small, to
match government’s efforts to reduce youth unemployment.
Chairperson, understanding that one of the contributors to the
high levels of unemployment is a mismatch between skills
required in the labour market ...
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): As you conclude!
Mr Z MKIVA: ... and as I conclude, the mismatch between skills
required in the labour market and those produced by many
education and training institutions. We must commend
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government’s efforts to develop a new landscape for Skills and
Education Training Authorities, SETAs. SETAs must be aligned
with national priorities and our national industrialization
strategy.
To further skills development throughout all young people in
the country, particularly those between the ages of 15 and 24,
the targeting our skills development programmes to benefit the
unemployment of the youth, low-skilled youth and those in
precarious forms of employment, including the self-employed,
is a move in the right direction.
Chairperson, we want to commend the work of the government as
this august House of the seniors. And to say that, it is only
through interventions like these, which are very progressive,
that we can begin to transform the landscape of our society
and turn the corner, in terms of giving the economic strategy
a right trajectory into the future of a country that secures
sustainable and prosperous livelihood for the young people of
our country.
On behalf of the ANC I want to take this opportunity to wish
all South Africans a happy Youth Day tomorrow and let’s go out
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
WEDNESDAY, 15 JUNE 2022
Page: 184
there to support the youth of our country. Thank you very
much, Chairperson.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Hon members, that
concludes the debate. Allow me to take this opportunity to
thank the Deputy Chair of the NCOP, Mme [Ms] Lucas, our
special delegates, MECs form our respective provinces, all
members who participated in this very important debate.
With that, hon members, that concludes the business of the
day. The House is adjourned. Thank you very much.
Debate concluded.
Business of the day concluded.
The Council rose at 18:37
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