During the State Of The Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared that more than 850 000 opportunities were supported through the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programs.
The president added that 80% of the beneficiaries of the employment stimulus programme were young people and more than 60% of the beneficiaries were women.
However, some political parties do not believe that the programme is having the impact it should be having. The unemployment rate in South Africa reached a record high of 34.9% last year.
The Economic Freedom Fighters’ Sinawo Tambo has branded the programme as just a pretence of job creation created to stifle the anger and desperation of citizens.
The Democratic Alliance's Zakhele Mbhele believes that while the program is a step in the right direction, it needs to do more to assist people. He says the PESP needs to be one aspect in a basket of economic reforms.
He said, “It has to be one aspect in a basket of other reforms in the economic environments in our labour regime that will incentivize investments as well as employment creation”.
Labour analyst, Michael Bagraim says he hopes the president looks at the current situation and decides we cannot pretend it is business as usual.
