President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Presidential Employment Stimulus, as of March this year, supported more than 650 000 people through public employment programmes.
The President said this when he responded to oral questions in the National Assembly on Thursday.
“We are undertaking the Presidential Employment Stimulus to provide work opportunities through public employment programmes, as well as through the protection of existing jobs and support for livelihoods.
“By the end of March, the Presidential Employment Stimulus had supported over 650 000 opportunities through a wide range of programmes for people who would have otherwise been unemployed, with over half a million participants already at work,” he said.
The President said as part of the employment stimulus:
- More than 300 000 education assistants were placed in over 20 000 schools across South Africa. Funding has also been provided to protect vulnerable teaching posts;
- Income support is being provided to more than 100 000 workers in the Early Childhood Development sector;
- More than 50 000 opportunities are being created in public employment programmes in the environment sector, including in natural resource management, fire prevention and the war on waste;
- Almost 2 000 artisans have been hired by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to support water and energy efficiency, facilities management and the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme;
- The expansion of the Global Business Services incentive has enabled the creation of more than 8 000 new jobs in the sector since October;
- More than 100 000 small-scale and subsistence farmers are being provided with input vouchers to expand production.
He said as government enters the second phase of the Stimulus, the focus will be on ensuring that it establishes pathways for participants into private sector employment, education and training, or other enterprise support.
“The Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan is underpinned by a dedicated focus on key economic reforms, particularly in network industries like energy, water, ports and rail, and telecommunications.
“Through Operation Vulindlela, we are accelerating the implementation of these reforms and unlocking investment and growth.
“Economic reforms are also necessary to reduce the cost of living for South Africans who will benefit from more efficient, competitive and sustainable services like electricity, water and transport.” – SAnews.gov.za
