Pretoria - The North West administration has set aside an amount of R176 million to create 20 000 jobs to reduce the high rates of unemployment and poverty in the province.
According to the provincial government, the North West is amongst the poorest provinces in the country, with an unemployment rate of 24.7 percent, coupled with a poverty level of 46 percent. Service delivery, poverty alleviation and job creation remain government’s key priority programmes.
Finance MEC Paul Sebegoe, when he tabled the provincial mid-term adjustment budget before the legislature on Tuesday, said the main budget had been adjusted by an additional R1.8 million, which increases the provincial budget from R28.5 billion to just over R30 billion.
The thrust of the 2013 Adjustment Budget Speech was mainly ‘Increasing efficiency within government and obtaining better value for money’.
“We can appreciate the fact that whilst government has put into place programmes that provide young graduates with practical workplace experience; huge employment demands still exist in the unskilled and semi-skilled sector of society.
“It is within that context that the provincial government is committed to the creation of labour intensive job opportunities in the province to address some of the immediate challenges we are facing,” Sebegoe.
The labour intensive employment opportunities will be distributed accordingly in all the four districts of the province.
Ngaka Modiri Molema is set to get 5 652 new jobs, Bojanala 5098, Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati 4 459 and 4 791 in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district. The jobs project is expected to start from the 1December 2013 at an average stipend of R2 200 per month.
Various projects have been identified and aligned to specific department and budget allocated.
The Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport has been allocated a whopping R105.5 million and is expected to create 12 000 employment opportunities. The department will play a lead role in the monitoring and implementation of projects in line with expanded public works programme principles.
Key projects identified for this department involve paving works, culvert cleaning, contractor development, landscaping and horticulture, erection and maintenance of road signage and markings, pothole patching and other minor roadwork.
“Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism has been allocated R26.330 million to create 2992 jobs through maintenance of the parks, alien invasive plant control mainly in the game reserves, industrialisation projects, refurbishments of the Taung Tusk and the ‘keep North West clean projects’,” added Sebegoe.
Projects under Departments of Sport, Arts and Culture, Education and Training, Social Development, Agriculture and Rural Development have been allocated funds to absorb more unemployed people. – SAnews.gov.za
