Nomakhosazana Meth Outlines Priorities for Departmental Transformation

Meth stressed the department's role in fostering workplaces free from trauma and ensuring compliance with employment laws and the Immigration Act.

Nomakhosazana Meth, the newly appointed Minister of Employment and Labour, has outlined the department's ambitious agenda to address pressing challenges and bring substantive change to citizens' lives.

Speaking during a Ministerial Committee meeting to introduce new principals and present the department’s program, Meth underscored South Africa's ongoing struggles with poverty, unemployment, and inequality. Highlighting the severity of the situation, she noted that the official unemployment rate stands at 32.9%, with youth unemployment particularly alarming at 59.7% for ages 15-24 and 40.7% for ages 25-34, based on the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for Quarter 1 of 2024.

Meth emphasized the need for intensified and collaborative efforts to achieve meaningful outcomes, stating, "Substantive results can be achieved through an intensive and collaborative mechanism that will propel us to realize the department's objectives."

The minister outlined six priorities guiding the department for the seventh administration:

Priority 1: Put South Africa to work.

Priority 2: Build industries for an inclusive economy.

Priority 3: Tackle the prohibitive cost of living.

Priority 4: Invest in people.

Priority 5: Defend democracy and advance freedom.

Priority 6: Better Africa and the World.

She detailed specific initiatives, including creating and sustaining 2.5 million job opportunities, implementing an industrial strategy for growth and youth employment, and ensuring compliance with the National Minimum Wage. The department also aims to provide comprehensive social security through the Unemployment Insurance Fund and Compensation Fund.

Meth stressed the department's role in fostering workplaces free from trauma and ensuring compliance with employment laws and the Immigration Act. She emphasized the importance of strengthening international and regional stakeholder relations and encouraged active participation in the District Development Model (DDM) to enhance service delivery and economic development across South Africa's districts and metros.

Furthermore, Meth highlighted the department's involvement with the International Labour Organization (ILO), underscoring its role in advancing Africa and global labor standards.

The minister concluded by affirming her commitment to steering the department towards achieving these goals and fostering a transformative impact on employment, labor relations, and social welfare in South Africa.