Publisher

The people's priorities for the new year

Stef Venter, Centurion

The year of job creation

Government is tackling the unemployment challenge head-on. By declaring 2011 as a year of job creation, government aims to create more than five million jobs in the next 10 years. This was announced by President Jacob Zuma at a business summit on job creation held in March. To achieve this goal, President Zuma acknowledged that government would require more direct investment in the economy and greater involvement from the private sector.

Transnet is a focused and integrated freight transport company, which is essentially driven by five operating divisions Transnet Freight Rail, Transnet Rail Engineering, Transnet National Ports Authority, Transnet Port Terminals and Transnet Pipelines. These operating divisions supported by company-wide specialist functions give meaning to our philosophy of "One Company, One Vision".

Struggling to find jobs was not an excuse to live in poverty for a group of two young unemployed men and five women. Rather than sitting back and waiting for something to come their way, they decided to pull their resources together to start a co-op.

Eskom Bursary is committed to ensuring that all qualified students have continued access to high-quality educational programmes that will provide them with the skills and expertise they need for their future success. The aim of the bursary programmes is to provide students with support in specific disciplines that are in line with our business needs. The bursaries are offered to students in technical colleges, technikons and universities, in particular to talented youngsters who could become future employees.

Bursary eligible criteria

The Golden Gate Hotel in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in Qwaqwa has been upgraded to attract more tourists. The hotel will play a vital role in providing jobs and creating wealth for the area, said Environmental and Water Affairs Minister, Edna Molewa at the launch on 5 June.

The Community Work Programme (CWP) is aimed at uplifting communities by tackling poverty and unemployment. The programme helps individuals and families to earn an income by providing employment opportunities. The primary purpose of the CWP is to create access to a minimum level of regular and predictable work opportunities for unemployed people. It targets areas of high unemployment, where sustainable opportunities are likely to remain limited for some time.

The National Treasury is committed to youth and skills development in South Africa. We provide graduates an opportunity to gain meaningful workplace experience to complement their studies. Our Graduate Development Programme is directed at those who have or are in the process of completing their studies. Graduate recruits will be part of a supportive environment allowing for continuous development.

Keeping it brief

Government will be focusing on achieving selected key goals during the remainder of the year. This follows the findings of the mid-year special Cabinet meeting or Cabinet Lekgotla in July. The purpose of the Lekgotla is to give government an opportunity to review its performance and the carrying out of its Programme of Action following the State of the Nation Address.