KWAZULU-NATAL Premier Sihle Zikalala has told the province’s citizens that his administration anticipates that it will create about 7 730 jobs for rural communities in the province in the 2022/23 financial year.
Zikalala has been delivering his State of the Province Address (Sopa) at the Olympia Hall situated at the Pietermaritzburg Royal Showgrounds in an event also attended by AmaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini.
Zikalala said that the province’s unemployment rate had now risen to 28.7% from about 23% before the pandemic.
“The increase in discouraged work seekers continues to add to this figure on a regular basis. Our country’s economic structure is the primary cause behind our persistently low levels of economic productivity and low growth that is driven by high input costs.
“Our economy is saddled with corporate corruption, failure of companies to invest in self-development, lack of sustainable energy generation, and instability created by the criminal activities of some business forums. All this has been worsened by lockdowns intended to keep citizens safe from Covid-19,” Zikalala said.
He said that in order to change the status quo, the province needed major economic reforms anchored on radical economic transformation and greater participation in the mainstream economy.
“Over the past year we remodelled poor waste management to stimulate the economy with 1 000 jobs being created, with the Presidential Employment Stimulus Package has allocated R95 million to the province for the implementation of the Solid Innovative Waste Management programme. This pilot programme intends to create 4 400 employment opportunities and supports 37 SMMEs.
“The Invasive Alien Species programme demonstrated its impact by creating 7 725 jobs. In the 2022/23 financial year, we anticipate creating about 7 730 jobs for rural communities in the province,” Zikalala said.
Zikalala said that through Trade Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) the province had attracted investment to the value of R5.3 billion with more than 8 554 jobs created, including the Tetra Pak investment of R500 million which added 120 jobs to the existing 300 jobs.
Other investments which had assisted in job creation included the Webhelp Call Centre with an investment of R500m which will initially create 500 jobs that will grow to more than 2 000 jobs in the next two years, the Capita BPO investment of R120m which created 500 jobs, and the Blythedale Coastal Resort’s R800m investment which created more than 2 000 jobs.
Political Bureau