Employment and Labour on Labour Activation Programme contracts to stimulate job creation

The Minister of Employment and Labour, Ms. Nomakhosazana Meth, on Friday, 14 March 2025, handed over Labour Activation Programme contracts worth over R779 million to stimulate job creation for 27,000 beneficiaries in the North West Province, at the Rustenburg Civic Centre.

The Minister was joined by Acting Premier, MEC Madoda Sambatha of Agriculture, Speaker of the North West Legislature, Dr. Desbo Mohono, Executive Mayor of Rustenburg Local Municipality, Cllr Sheila Mabale-Huma with her MMCs, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda Executive Mayor, Cllr Nikiwe Num Bojanala District Exec. Mayor, Cllr Susan Nthangeni, and senior managers of the Department of Employment and Labour and the UIF.

The North West LAP partners are from the Security, Agriculture, Construction, Engineering, Media, Manufacturing, and Entrepreneurship sectors of the economy, and will recruit young minds for varying durations of 12 months to 3 years. The LAP partners submitted their proposals through a stringent process, which will be strictly monitored by the department through monitoring tools and oversight visits.

MEC Madoda Sambatha thanked the Minister for her efforts in assisting the province with the reduction of the unemployment rate, which stands at 41.3%, the highest in the country.

“On behalf of the Premier, we support the programme wholeheartedly and thank you for bringing this programme to our Province,” said MEC Sambatha.

Handing over the contracts to fifteen Labour Activation Programme (LAP) Partners, Minister Meth said the programme was launched to create real opportunities to give people the skills they need, and to connect them with meaningful work. Minister Meth also assured the community that the LAP Programme was not limited to the age group of 18-35 years old.

“This programme is not just about numbers, it is about real people, real livelihoods, and real transformation. Through partnerships with employers, training institutions, and communities, we are ensuring that skills development leads directly to jobs, that emerging industries absorb local talent, and that no one is left behind - even more, the opportune time for the review and consolidation of all public employment programs to improve efficiency and synergies is greatly needed,” said Minister Meth.

The Minister further said that the success of these initiatives would rely on robust monitoring and evaluation, and that the Department would work hand in hand with the 15 appointed entities to track progress, identify challenges, and create solutions that uphold transparency and accountability.

The North West handover follows the Eastern Cape, which was valued at over R922 million, targeting 23,000 beneficiaries and the Western Cape, valued at R651 million targeting 17,000 beneficiaries.

The Department is on a nationwide roll-out of the LAP Programme, a key catalyst in job creation by supporting businesses to create employment initiatives, re-skilling the youth, and providing training such as Skills Programmes, Learnerships, and Apprenticeships, with the aim of alleviating poverty.

The event took place alongside a Jobs and Career Fair for work seekers and unemployed graduates, to receive career counselling, register, and apply for available opportunities on the Employment Services South Africa (ESSA) portal. The service is also available on the Department’s website: www.labour.gov.za

For enquiries:
Ms. Thobeka Magcai
Ministry Spokesperson
Email: Thobeka.Magcai@Labour.gov.za
Cell: 072 737 2205

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