Sibusiso Phakathi appointed as new Supported Employment Enterprises CEO

SEE is an entity that promotes supported employment for persons with long-term physical, mental or sensory impairment disabilities.

The Department of Employment and Labour has announced the appointment of Sibusiso Phakathi as its new head for Supported Employment Enterprises (SEE).

SEE is an entity that promotes supported employment for persons with long-term physical, mental or sensory impairment disabilities.

In a statement on Wednesday, the department said that Phakathi has been appointed on a five-year renewable contract with effect from 01 September 2021.

Phakathi replaces the department’s Public Employment Services (PES) branch Deputy Director-General, Sam Morotoba who has been acting in the position since the departure of former CEO Silumko Nondwangu more than three years ago.

He has a BCom Honours in Economics and Strategic Management from the University of Western Cape. He also has an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from UWC and a Masters in International Trade Law.

The newly appointed CEO for SEE has appealed to government departments to intentionally support the entity so that it can thrive and fulfil its mandate.

“I am privileged to join SEE at this time. There is more investment that has just been made in factory infrastructure. I have an abiding faith in the management team I found here,” Phakathi said.

Phakathi said his immediate focus was to make sure that all business directorates such as Business Development, Human Resources and Finance are strategically aligned towards a common objective. 

“Once we drive all those strategic imperatives, our plea is to have government departments and agencies spend at least 10 percent of their revenue procuring from us. Yes, we want to deal with in-house problems. The investment made in new machinery, delivery trucks have laid a solid foundation to drive efficiencies,” Phakathi said.

SEE currently has a budget of R153 million, a grant from the National Treasury. Its budget has in recent years been reduced due to austerity measures.

The factories employ about 1050 people and a further 159 that have been seconded by the Department of Employment and Labour to assist in administrative work.

Phakathi said that SEE’s Vision 2025 seeks to create at least 400 employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

The SEE formerly known as the Supported Employment Factories (SEF) was established in 1949 as a government post-Second World War intervention to alleviate the plight of returned soldiers and the disabled people, in general, to play an active role in the labour market.

The SEE has 13 factories in South Africa operating in eight provinces, except Mpumalanga. The factories are located in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth, Potchefstroom, Pretoria and Polokwane.

In 1994, the department assumed responsibility for the factories and had to continue to provide a subsidy to the factories through the National Treasury for the payment of salaries and the procurement of raw materials to manufacture finished goods.

The factories manufacture furniture, textiles, hospital linen, metalwork; leatherwork, bookbinding; and screen printing among a catalogue of goods. Recently, they added the manufacturing of protective personal equipment (PPEs). 

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)