17,000 Jobs Incoming, Minister Meth’s signed contracts worth R651-million to Tackle Unemployment in the Western Cape. Image credit: Phetolo Sematha/ The Post News
(The Post News)- On Thursday, January 9, 2025, Nomakhosazana Meth, Minister of Employment and Labour, signed agreements with 12 Labour Activation Programme (LAP) partner organizations in the Western Cape.
This initiative is part of the Department’s flagship job creation drive and promises to secure more than 17,000 employment opportunities in vital economic sectors, including retail, customer service, hospitality, agriculture, and information and communication technology (ICT).
The 12 LAP partners have signed pledges to address South Africa’s persistently high unemployment rate and to address the issue by funding training initiatives and ensuring job absorption of 17,000 jobseekers. Each of the 12 partner organizations will play a key role in delivering on the LAP’s objectives. They will train jobseekers in line with industry demands and ensure that participants are integrated into the workforce.
Minister Meth emphasized the significance of this program in an interview with eNCA, stating that the Labour Activation Programme is designed to go beyond short-term interventions. She also added that the department will be holding our partners accountable to ensure that those trained under this initiative are either employed or equipped for self-employment. https://www.enca.com/news/labour-department-and-partners-hope-create-17000-jobs
This development follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address in Khayelitsha on 8 January, where he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reducing unemployment. “We are still to make sure that the people of our country have prosperity, and to make sure that the unemployment rate in our country is brought down, we must create jobs, and that is what the ANC has committed itself to,” the President stated.
South Africa’s unemployment rate, which stood at 32.6% according to Stats SA in the third quarter of 2024, remains a major challenge for the government. The Labour Activation Programme is seen as a crucial component of the broader strategy to stimulate the economy and provide opportunities for jobseekers, especially in provinces like the Western Cape, where economic inequality remains stark.
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