Over 100 000 KwaZulu-Natal residents will benefit from the creation of thousands of employment opportunities, according to the Department of Employment and Labour.
The Department said the Labour Activation Programme projects will be carried out through its entity the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) with the support of the KZN provincial government.
Speaking at the Durban Exhibition Centre on Wednesday, Minister Thulas Nxesi, who was addressing 6 000 people at the gathering, said this programme is part of the commitment to create two million job and entrepreneurial opportunities over a three-year period.
“This was a commitment made at the beginning of the sixth administration in 2019, but was delayed due to the advent of Covid-19, business disruptions in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng and the floods in this province,” he said.
The Department said the projects in KZN will cover a variety of sectors including the textile, maritime, agriculture, construction, ICT, energy, funeral services, hospitality and landscaping sectors.
The Minister said, “The total target of projects for KwaZulu-Natal is 49 and is to benefit 102 500 beneficiaries at a budget of R3.6bn.”
He added that the KZN launch is part of a R23.8bn national job creation plan that will soon be rolled out. The Department said these opportunities will run between 12 to 36 months and will create more than 700 000 employment opportunities nationwide.
According to the Minister, the application and vetting process of these projects started in 2022 and they have been subjected to quality assurance processes.
He said the provincial government of each province will monitor the projects.
“We expect from our partners delivery, compliance with contractual obligations, professionalism, quality work, measurable outputs and impactful interventions,” said Nxesi.
The Mercury